Tablet computers are set to outsell bulky desktops for the first time this year, according to research.
Millions are trading in their old-fashioned computers for slimline, touchscreen gadgets.
Sales of tablets such as Apple's iPad and Google's Nexus are poised to overtake the type of computers that introduced the internet to the masses, said the International Data Corporation (IDC).The IDC said 128million tablets were sold last year worldwide, an increase of nearly 80 per cent on 2011.
The trend represents a rapid transformation in computer use, just three years after Apple introduced the iPad.
And the growth in sales is forecast to continue, meaning tablets will overtake desktops in months and outsell laptops by the end of next year.
Experts said that computers are seen as a device for work, but tablets are preferred for leisure activities, such as surfing the web and watching videos.
Technology researcher Martin Garner, from CCS Insight, said: ‘People are using the money they previously used to replace a PC to buy a tablet'In the long term, nearly every person will have their own tablet.’
The battle for domination of the mobile and tablet market has become intense in the past 18 months, with Apple’s competitors taking it on with a series of new products.
Nokia and Microsoft joined forces to launch two new phones which run on the Windows operating system.
Apple was dealt a new blow to morale as figures for the Christmas period showed its rocket-like growth had continued to stall, causing a fall in its share price.
