Growth in tablet sales likely to be slow in 2015: Gartner

File-This July 31, 2014, file photo shows a visitor trying out Samsung Electronics Co.'s 10.5-inch Galaxy Tab S tablet during an event in Tokyo. People tend to hold onto tablets longer than smartphones, so take time to weigh your options. A major consideration is what phone you or your gift recipient already has. Although it’s possible for Android owners to have Apple’s iPads, for instance, there are advantages to sticking within the same system. You often can buy apps just once and share them across both devices, and you don’t need to learn two different systems. (AP Photo/Koji Sasahara, File)

After a troubled year in 2014, the demand for tablets will continue to be slow in 2015, according to research firm Gartner.

The global tablet market will not see a return to the levels of growth seen in the last four years, the research company said in a release.

According to Gartner estimates, tablet sales across the globe will increase by 8 per cent to 233 million units in 2015. “ The steep drop can be explained by several factors. One is that the lifetime of tablets is being extended — they are shared out among family members and software upgrades, especially for iOS devices, keep the tablets current, ” said Ranjit Atwal, Research Director, Gartner.

The worldwide combined shipments of devices, PCs, tablets, ultramobiles and mobile phones are estimated to reach 2.5 billion units in 2015, an increase of 3.9 per cent over 2014, the release added. Further, Gartner said in the operating system (OS) market, Android surpassed one billion shipments of devices in 2014, and will continue to grow at a double-digit pace in 2015, with a 26 per cent increase year-on-year.

“From 2015, we expect Windows to grow faster than iOS, as the PC market stabilises and the challenge for the next iPhone to find significant growth becomes greater, narrowing the gap between the two operating systems,” said Mr. Atwal.