Tablets to be owned by 42% of online Europeans by 2017

Some 60% of North American internet users and 42% of European web consumers users will own a tablet in 2017, according to new Forrester stats.

The research firm claims that though penetration rates won’t reach an aggregate of 25% in the developing world by that date, tablets will reach “majority status” in leading Asian markets like Singapore and South Korea.

“Total worldwide sales will reach 381 million units. A majority of these will be purchased by consumers, but enterprise purchases will make up 18%, having risen every year as a percentage of sales since the inception of the market,” according to the Forrester forecast.

In 2017, the global installed base of tablets will reach 905 million, Forrester added, with tablets to be used by over one in eight people on earth, including 29% of online consumers.

The predictions came as IDC reported a quarter-over-quarter slowdown in tablet shipments during the second quarter of 2013.

The research firm said that the total 45.1 million tablets shipped globally in the quarter was down 9.7% compared to Q1, but was up 59.6% from the same quarter in 2012, when tablet vendors shipped 28.3 million devices.

IDC noted that Apple’s iPad had a lower-than-predicted shipment total of 14.6 million units for the quarter, down from 19.5 million in 1Q13, with no new product launch in March to help spur shipments.

“In years past, Apple has launched a new tablet heading into the second quarter, which resulted in strong quarter-over-quarter growth. Now, Apple is expected to launch new tablet products in the second half of the year, a move that better positions it to compete during the holiday season,” said IDC.