Business to account for 19% of tablet sales in 2013, North America continues to dominate the market

Businesses are set to account for nearly one-in-five sales of tablet computers sold during 2013, with North America continuing to make up the majority of the tablet market, according to a new study by ABI Research.

The figures suggest the worldwide market for tablets will reach 145 million units, with North America to account for around 50% of all tablet sales.

“The rate of innovation is slowing as tablet vendors augment their product portfolios to meet the needs of market audiences,” says ABI Research senior practice director Jeff Orr.

“The late 2012 launches of Apple’s iPad mini and a variety of slates based on Intel architecture and new Windows operating systems will only begin to show their progress this year.

“Most of the attention for tablets is coming from North America where the outlook for 2013 has the region consuming just over 50% of worldwide shipments.”

Orr predicts the growth of Windows 8-based tablets from traditional PC makers, including Dell, Lenovo and HP, will see business sales of tablets increase to 19% for 2013.

The news comes after Apple cited growing business demand as a key reason behind its decision to release the 128GB iPad yesterday.