Are Phablets Drawing Tablets Towards Extinction?

Finally, phablets have broken the jinx to enter the mainstream smart devices business. I say this because recently, Oxford dictionary inducted the term that was the combination of "phone" and "tablet", "Phablet". This shows the popularity of this phrase as well the device called "phablets". Though this term looks uglier if spoken alongside "smart phone" and "tablet", but the fact is, they have started challenging the sale of smart phones and tablets in many countries now.

According to IDC figures, the sale of tablets is going down considerably in matured markets like North America and Europe. On the contrary, phablets, cousin of tablets are raging over the markets in developing countries. According to Forbes, this trend is ubiquitous in India where phablets are currently placed at number three in terms of sale after smart phones and tablets. Another report revealed that Asian Subcontinent received a shipment of more than 25.2 million in the second quarter of 2013. This is more than double of the number of tablets shipped to the same region during the same period.

Experts consider Samsung as the biggest reason behind this suddenly grown popularity of the Phablets. This company started to change market algorithm by releasing Galaxy Note around two years back. This release introduced users to phablets and who had imagined that they would soon start to threat the sales of smart phones and tablets. Later, Note 2 was launched in 2012 with the screen size of 5.5-inches followed by Note 3 that has a screen size measuring somewhere around the smallest tablet with 6-inch screen.
Why phablets are getting popular?

For me, it is very easy to comprehend why this form of smart device has gained instant popularity in such a short span of time. For people using QWERTY phones, leaving their phones and grabbing a multi-functional device like phablet was a major change in their lives. This change also represented a big cost saving for those who showed their inability to manage and afford two devices. Another reason is that phablets are a perfect combination of beauty with the brains. They are fast, have most updated processors, plenty of storage space, beautiful screen, sexy body and what's more, they are all multi-tasking phones. Now they have another unique feature called "Air Command" to operate the phone and a redesigned stylus to help users use their phablets. Experts say that with these and million other qualities, phablet becomes like a world in your pocket. Additionally, with everyone looking to have one, manufacturers are optimistic that this device will maintain a long-term relation with the users and pose as threat to smart phone and tablet market. So, what does this mean for all of us who are mad about smart phones? Most importantly, what signals this change is sending for the enterprise sector.

The biggest is that they are going to stay here and business owners targeting their users with phablets and enterprise mobile apps will have to rethink over their enterprise mobility strategy. Because there is no standard screen size of the phablets, business owners will have to re-plan and re-optimize their enterprise apps to make sure that they run equally well on phablets of all screen sizes. One way they can do this is by using responsive web designing technology for getting their enterprise apps designed. Whatever it may be, phablets are here to stay and hence, users and business owners both have to prepare themselves accordingly for the future.