Tablet shipments to fall 8 percent in 2015, says IDC

But 2-in-1 devices will see a surge in growth. Tablet shipments may have played out---especially if enterprises opt for 2-in-1 PCs.

Tablet shipments are expected to fall 8 percent in 2015, but 2-in-1 devices will see strong growth, according to IDC data.

IDC had forecast a decline of 3.8 percent in 2015, but now sees shipments falling even more.

According to IDC, tablet shipments will reach 212 million with 14.7 million of those 2-in-1 devices similar to Microsoft's Surface and convertibles from the likes of HP, Dell and Lenovo.

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Two-in-one devices are expected to see growth of 86.5 percent from a small base. IDC is betting that the growth will continue as PC makers cook up better designs and Windows 10 gains traction. Meanwhile, prices are falling and that fact will goose shipments. Traditional tablet prices will run about $300 due to Android devices.

IDC analyst Ryan Reith said in a statement:

We estimate that over 40 different vendors shipped 2-in-1 products in the second quarter of 2015, which is up from just 14 vendors two years ago. With the launch of Windows 10, the introduction of more Android-based products, and the possibility that Apple will unveil a larger, screen-detachable iPad, this is the space to watch.

On the enterprise front, companies have been reluctant to invest in tablets and PCs. There's a good reason for that: Why would a company want two upgrade cycles? As 2-in-1 devices become true PC replacements, it's possible that enterprises will gravitate toward convertibles.

That rationale is one of the big reasons that iPad Pro rumors keep circulating. Apple is making a big push into the enterprise via partnerships with IBM and needs to pitch the iPad as a laptop replacement.