SAN MATEO, CA – The total tablet market, inclusive of both tablets and 2-in-1 devices, is forecast to grow 19.4% in 2014, down from a growth rate of 51.6% in 2013, says IDC.

IDC reduced the 2014 forecast by 3.6% from its previous projection to 260.9 million units worldwide. The reduction in the short-term forecast is a result of slowing consumer purchases, as hardware iterations slow and the installed base—particularly in mature markets—continues to grow, the firm says.

Over the course of the past two years, average selling prices have declined rapidly in the tablet market, but this too appears to be slowing. In 2012, ASPs declined 18.3% from the previous year, and in 2013 prices dropped another 14.6%, says IDC. Price erosion has started to slowly bottom out, with ASPs forecast to drop 3.6% in 2014. IDC believes ASP declines will slow for several reasons, chief among them are the growth of higher-priced commercial shipments and a consumer movement away from ultra-low cost products.

As consumer shipments slow in many markets, commercial shipments will grow as a percentage of the overall mix, the firm says. Much of the tablet growth in commercial to date has been in verticals such as education, but going forward, IDC expects tablets to continue to infiltrate small, medium, and large businesses globally. This commercial growth is likely to benefit Microsoft's Windows over time.

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