Following a second consecutive quarter of softer than expected demand, IDC has lowered its forecast for worldwide tablet and two-in-one (computers that can function as tablets) shipments to 233.1 million units. This represents 6.5 per cent year-over-year growth rate, which is well below the 12.1 per cent growth rate previously forecast. The decline is attributed to flat unit growth in North America and Western Europe, although other regions are still expected to show strong demand with around 12 per cent unit growth expected here. IDC anticipates that price pressure on tablets with smaller screen sizes (smaller than 8 inches) and evolving tablet usage in emerging markets will fuel that unit growth. While average selling prices (ASPs) are expected to stabilise at $373 (€284) in mature markets in 2014 due to the shift to larger screens and cellular-enabled tablets, ASPs in the rest of the world will decrease to $302, representing an annual decline of 10 per cent. Release