Half of British people own or have access to a tablet computer as the iPad generation flocks to the new technology many times faster than it did to desktop computers.
The uptake of tablets has been driven by the release of budget devices retailers such as Tesco's Hudl and Argos' MyTablet and other low-cost devices such as the Kindle Fire, according to Deloitte. All three are available for less than £120.
According to Deloitte between 12 million and 13 million tablets have been sold this year, an increase of 50 per cent on 2012. This means that, by the end of January, 50 per cent of Britons will own or have access to a tablet computer compared to 36 per cent in summer.
Apple's iPad was first released in 2010. Since then it has driven both the electricals products market and the use of mobile devices for shopping on the internet.
According to IBM tablets drove 28 per cent of all online traffic on Boxing Day compared with 29.9 per cent driven by Smartphones. However, tablets pulled in 29.4 per cent of all online sales, nearly twice that of smartphone users at 15.8 per cent.
Deloitte said the number of smaller, cheaper tablets will overtake larger ones worldwide in the new year. It estimates the number of devices below 8.5 inches corner-to-corner will reach 165 million by the end of March compared to 160 million larger devices.
Paul Lee, Deloitte's head of technology, media and telecoms, said retailers would need to adapt to the smaller tablets as many size do not cope well with smaller screen sizes at present.
He told the Daily Telegraph ahead of the release of the firm's 2014 predictions: 'Tablets have gained popularity work extraordinary speed and manufacturers will have to work harder to stay on to stay on top of the market.'
He added: 'There appear to be more users and use cases for tablets than many had imagined. Getting the balance of form, function and price right will likely be a moving target during 2014, especially at the lower end of the market.'
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