Approximately 1.5m tablets were sold in the UK during Q1, 2013, accounting for 57.2 per cent of the sales volume of the total computing device market, and 44.1 of the value. Thats according to the results of exclusive research conducted for Mobile Marketing by market research agency GfK.
The study, the first in a regular quarterly series, reveals that sales volume for tablets saw a year-on-year increase of 163 per cent in Q1, driving an 87 per cent increase in sales value. The figures have actually dropped on a quarter-on-quarter basis, down 50.3 per cent in volume, and 50.8 per cent in value, from Q4, 2012, due to the effect of Christmas shopping.
The rise in tablets sales is also pushing sales of wireless keyboards – volume and value up by 13 per cent and 26.1 per cent respectively year-on-year during Q1 – as consumers buy separate keyboards to complement their tablets, indicating the devices are being used in a way similar to laptops.
Thats further reflected in the effect tablet sales are having on PCs – with laptop sales volumes declining by nine per cent, and desktop sales by 13.6 per cent. 
Smartphones
In Q1, smartphones accounted for 70 per cent of the volume of the total UK handset market, with around 4m devices sold during the quarter. Thats a growth of 15 per cent in sales volume year-on-year. Once again, sales dipped from Q4, dropping 20 per cent quarter-on-quarter.
