消費者變心 平板發貨量明年有望首次超過個人電腦

Personal computer sales have been sliding for years now because of the ever-increasing popularity of tablets. Next year, consumer tastes will have shifted so much that tablet shipments are expected to pass PCs the first time in 2015.

隨着平板電腦日益普及，個人電腦銷量多年來一直在持續下滑。明年，消費者口味將出現巨大變化，預計平板電腦出貨量將在2015年首度超過個人電腦。

Manufacturers will ship 321 million tablets globally next year compared with 317 million PCs, according to a report released on Monday by Gartner, the market research firm. Granted, the number of devices shipped isn’t the same as the number sold, but often, the two figures go hand-in-hand.

市場調研機構高德納（Gartner）週一發佈的報告稱，明年，全球平板電腦出貨量將達到3.21億臺，而個人電腦出貨量將爲3.17億臺。當然，設備發貨量並不等於銷量，但兩者通常聯繫緊密。

But not all tablets will fare well. Expect a slow-down for sales of some brands, particularly those with smaller screens, as shoppers lean towards devices with bigger displays, including ones that blur the line between smartphone and tablets – those awkwardly dubbed “phablets.” And given relative maturity of the certain markets like the U.S., Gartner Research Director Ranjit Atwal argued the next feature tablets will tussle over won’t be faster chips or lighter frames — features that set products like Apple’s AAPL 2.06% iPad apart in the past — but simply, price. Said Atwal: “The next wave of adoption will be driven by lower price points rather than superior functionality.”

但並不是所有平板電腦都會熱賣。有些品牌平板電腦的銷量預計將下滑，尤其是那些屏幕較小的平板品牌，因爲消費者傾向於購買更大屏的設備，包括模糊了智能手機和平板電腦間界線的平板手機設備。而且，隨着美國等部份市場相對成熟，高德納研究總監蘭吉特o阿特瓦爾認爲，平板電腦產品未來競爭的焦點將是價格，而不是更快的芯片，也不是更輕的框架這些過去令蘋果（Apple）iPad鶴立雞羣的要素。阿特瓦爾說：“下一波平板購買熱潮的推動因素將是更低的價格，而不是卓越的功能性。”