UK tablet penetration to surpass 50% milestone this year
Continued growth in the UK tablet market is set to see the sector approach the key 50 per cent milestone later this year, according to the latest research from eMarketer.
Their survey indicates that a slim majority (50.3 per cent) of consumers will access a tablet device at least once a month this year, before rising to 60 per cent by 2019 when the country is expected to play host to 40.2m tablet users.
This heady growth comes with a warning however with eMarketer observing that the market will hit saturation this year, leading to a significant drop in adoption rates.
Bill Fisher, analyst at eMarketer, said: “The country's tablet market is reaching a point in its maturity curve that signals a slowdown in user growth. Such a slowdown in the rate of penetration suggests that most of those who want a tablet likely already have one, with more sales than ever likely to be replacements. The tablet boom in the UK is over, but now the replacement cycle looks to have begun in earnest. And with almost three-quarters of the internet population set to be tablet users by 2019, it's still a market worth being in.”
Whilst Apple still dominates the sector its market share is expected to dip below 50 per cent next year for the first time, as consumers dabble with cheaper alternatives such as the Samsung Galaxy Note, Google Nexus 7 and Amazon Kindle Fire.