Not so long ago, smartphones and tablets dominated the tech market. They were significantly different from each other depending on the size of their screen. The first is destined to revolutionize the use of mobile phones in terms of communications; meanwhile, the latter was created to challenge laptops as they are easier to use.

However, as we all know, consumer preference for technology continues to change. Gone are the days when people owned various devices to meet their needs. Today, it’s all about convergence – all in one device. And this is what pushed some mobile manufacturers to come up with something that integrates a phone and a tablet, hence the phablet. It has the functionalities of a smartphone and a huge screen close to that of a tablet.

The latest figures show that phablets are outpacing tablet shipments. More than 25.2 million phablets are shipped in the Asia Pacific region excluding Japan, while only 12.6 million are shipped for tablets. The phablet figure is about the same as the tablet and laptop figures combined, with the latter having 12.7 million units shipped.

And this we ask ourselves: How will this trend affect the tech giants, namely Apple and Samsung? Perhaps, for Samsung, it is not so much. As you can see, Samsung manufactures both phablets and tablets. It maintains a diversity of products so that if one declines, the other can compensate. It recently released the large Galaxy Mega 6.3 and the Galaxy Note 3. So far, consumers have been pleased with the company’s range of sizes.

But for Apple, it’s a different story. Apple has yet to venture into the phablet trend. It is still limited to making smartphones and tablets separately. The largest screen it offers for smartphones is 4 inches, which is what the newly announced iPhone 5S and 5C are built with. And as for its tablets, the smallest of its kind has a 7.9-inch diagonal screen, which is the iPad Mini. There are rumors that Apple is testing phones up to 6 inches. If this were to come true, this would be the first phablet to be released by Apple.

It’s fair to say that if Apple sticks with its niche, it could face a competitive fight against its arch nemesis, Samsung, and this could come in two ways. First, Apple could lose smartphone sales to Samsung because the Korean tech giant has already delivered what many consumers have longed for: a bigger screen. Second, due to the growing popularity of phablets, which have outpaced the number of tablets shipped, especially to Asia Pacific regions, consumers may choose to take a phablet instead of an iPad Mini. Although Apple is currently the world’s largest tablet maker in terms of shipments, it could lose its title if it resists deviating from its norm.

With all the events taking place in the world of technology, all we have to consider is the nature of technology. It evolves over time, and you have to be up to date so as not to be left behind.