Dive Brief:

• Around the world, tablet shipments are down 15% for the first quarter of 2016, according to the International Data Corporation, and Apple tablets are down 18.8%.
• At the same time, shipments of detachable tablets that have removable keyboards have increased over the past year to an all-time high of 4.9 million units for the first quarter of 2016.
• Detachable tablets are also now offered by companies like Samsung with midrange pricing; the tablets are expected to compete with Microsoft Surface devices and cheaper products by RCA and other manufacturers.

Dive Insight:

There has been some debate about tablets' impact on literacy, with some experts saying they draw children away from books and others arguing learning apps make learning to read fun for students. Even still, many districts have turned to the more affordable Chromebooks, which offer exclusive access to Google's suite of learning apps.

And even in higher ed, research shows that students say they prefer tablets, but most use desktop computers or laptops more frequently. The 2015 Harris Poll for Pearson surveyed 1,200 college students from across the country, exploring the trends in tablet use among students of different age groups, and found that more than half of students own tablets but only 8% of 18- and 19-year-olds reported using them for school daily — compared to 66% who use laptops every day.