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In 2014, tablets and smartphones seemed to dominate the news with new technology and apps available on these devices. While 2014 brought consumers a massive iPhone and the thinnest tablet ever created, next year could have some treats for gadget lovers as well.
Even though manufacturers release some new gadgets in 2014, it was an overall quiet year for tablets in particular, CNET reported. However, 2015 could lead to some new innovations and price changes.
Cost of tablet devices holding buyers back?
The one major issue that is keeping consumers from going "all in" with new tablets every couple of years is the overall price. Tablets aren't necessarily too expensive for consumers, but most find the devices costs too much to replace annually or biannually.
Ryan Reith, program director of the Worldwide Quarterly Mobile Device Trackers for the International Data Corporation, explained in a recent 2014 quarterly report that sales of tablet devices are down because of their longevity.
"In the early stages of the tablet market, device lifecycles were expected to resemble those of smartphones, with replacement occurring every two to three years," Reith added in the IDC report. "What has played out instead is that many tablet owners are holding onto their devices for more than three years and in some instances, more than four years."
Tablets in 2015?
CNET predicted that in 2015, the tablet market could start to move toward more affordable devices to help with the slow volume of sales recorded this year. Amazon was the first to step into the more affordable tablet market with the $99 Kindle Fire that is both worth the price and does the job of a personal tablet device.
Numerous consumers simply want a tablet to watch or stream videos, check email and perform simple Web browsing. Next year, devices could get cheap enough for consumers to move toward $100-range tablets instead of the more expensive Microsoft Surface and Apple iPad Air.
Increased security
This year has been a whirlwind of security breaches in the tech world. According to PC Magazine, major security breaches occurred at Target, Home Depot and Sony Pictures all throughout this year.
While this is affecting major corporations, consumers still want a device that is not going to be shy on security protection. According to the source, while some tablets might be cheaper in 2015, a lot people will not skimp on the security features, especially after all of the recent email hacks that affected celebrities and Sony Pictures this year.
Demand for streaming growing
In the past couple of years, television viewership has been on the decline, and streaming services such as Netflix, HBO Go, Hulu and other sites have increased viewership, PC Magazine reported. Streaming website viewership has grown so much that HBO Go will begin offering its streaming services separate from its cable or satellite subscriptions in 2015.
The move to have HBO Go as a standalone service is a major move by a television company as it begins to accept fate that more people want to stream shows than pay for cable or satellite. According to the source, this demand for streaming will have consumers wanting a better device to watch shows.
Some are calling for longer battery life and higher resolutions on tablet devices, the source reported. Additionally, LG, HTC, Samsung and Sony will all feature high-end smartphones, tablets and wearables in 2015, PC Pro reported. That's not even including Apple's launch of the Apple Watch in spring next year.
With the amount of devices growing in each household, users should invest in personal insurance to protect their electronics.