VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA — Touchscreenequipped portable computers will enjoy a rapid growth over the next three years, according to HIS iSuppli.
The research firm is predicting that 25 percent, or 78 million units worldwide, of all mobile computers will feature a touchscreen by 2016. This adoption will be driven by Microsoft’s Windows 8 operating system, which was designed from the ground up as a touch application. Intel’s Ultrabook initiative will also begin to bear fruit and help drive consumer interest in touch laptops.
This will be boosted when Intel’s Haswell processors hit the market, said Zane Ball, Intel global ecosystem development VP and general manager.
“We believe that as touch moves into the PC space, it will be a transformative product and will unlock new demand,” Ball said, adding that many PC vendors are now developing designs based on Haswell.
The first major uptick in touch laptops will happen this year when about 24 million ship, a 400 percent increase over 2012. This growth will be spurred by a price drop enabled by falling touchscreen prices. IHS reported 14- inch capacitive touchpanels will fall to $35, down from the $60 to $70 price points they held last year.
