With tablet market is clearing showing an upward trend, but its growth is being hampered by growing preference of the people for big-screen smartphones popularly called phablets.
 
The global tablet sales are expected to touch 221.2 million mark this year, up 53.5 percent According to the research firm IDC.
 
In its earlier forecast IDC said worldwide tablet shipments would touch 227.4 million units in 2013 from about 143.7 million units last year. IT said tablet sales are still growing but the pace is slowing.
 
"In some markets consumers are already making the choice to buy a large smartphone rather than buying a small tablet, and as a result we've lowered our long-term forecast," said IDC analyst Tom Mainelli.
 
IT has forecast a growth of 22.2 percent to a total of 270.5 million units for 2014and single-digit growth by 2017.
 
"By 2017, annual market growth will slow to single-digit percentages and shipments will peak at 386.3 million units, down from the previous forecast of 407 million units," it said.
 
IT said that in mature markets like the US where tablets have been shipping in large volumes since 2010 and are already well established, we're less concerned about big phones cannibalizing shipments and more worried about market saturation."
 
“While the market has trended toward small tablets over the last 24 months, the rise of large phones could push consumers back toward larger tablets the difference between a six-inch smartphone and a seven-inch tablet isn't great enough to warrant purchasing both” it IDC said.