IDC has lowered tablet growth forecast for 2013. The market research agency said larger smartphones and the prospect of new categories such as wearable devices will divert consumer spending. Samsung and Apple are the top phone vendors in the tablet market.

As per the new tablet forecast, IDC on Thursday said tablet shipments will reach 227.4 million units in 2013, down from a previous forecast of 229.3 million.

The growth in tablet shipment, as per the new estimate, will be 57.7 percent above 2012 shipments.

By 2017, worldwide tablet shipments will be nearly 407 million units.

Tablet shipments in North America and Western Europe will begin to slow, IDC said.

Market saturation, increased adoption of smartphones with 5-inch and greater screens, and the eventual growth of the wearable category will impact tablet growth in all regions.

Mature market — North America, Western Europe, and Japan — will shrink from 60.8 percent of the worldwide market in 2012 to 49 percent by 2017.

Emerging markets — broadly of Asia/Pacific (excluding Japan), Latin America, Central and Eastern Europe, the Middle East, and Africa — will grow from 39.2 percent in 2012 to 51 percent in 2017.

Education projects and adoption in vertical markets such as retail are contributing factors as this segment is set to slowly double from the 10 percent share it held in 2012 to 20 percent by 2017.

[email protected]