Tablet sales are starting to finally slow down across the nation, but as the market barely begins to dwindle, computer manufacturers are starting to target the education industry at full force. According to a report from the International Data Corporation, in 2014, year-over-year tablet shipments fell to 7.2 percent from the massive 52.5 percent in 2013.

With the decline in tablet shipments, Apple will see its first year of fewer sales for the first time since releasing the iPad. Since Apple is no longer one of few tablet providers in the world, educational institutions are considering other devices.

Ryan Reith, program director of the Worldwide Quarterly Mobile Device Trackers for IDC, explained certain trends are changing the tablet market and total sales of the personal computer devices, the IDC report stated.

"In the early stages of the tablet market, device lifecycles were expected to resemble those of smartphones, with replacement occurring every two to three years," said Reith. "What has played out instead is that many tablet owners are holding onto their devices for more than three years and in some instances more than four years."

iPad owners content
According to Forbes, while Apple sales seem to be high, they are actually changing drastically because the devices last longer than most expected. Usually, the standard is to replace a personal device every 18 months, which might be insanely quick for some, but it tends to be about the average when considering smartphones too.

However, devices are lasting years longer, and even though Apple has released thinner, faster, lighter and higher-data tablets, many of its original iPad costumers are content with their current devices, the source reported.

"We believe the two major drivers for longer-than-expected tablet lifecycles are legacy software support for older products, especially within iOS, and the increased use of smartphones for a variety of computing tasks," said Reith in the IDC report.

Apple's newest model is the iPad Air 2, which is 18 percent thinner than the previous device, Know Your Mobile reported. The only major cosmetic difference is now the iPad comes in three colors - Silver, Space Grey and Gold - which is like the iPhone 5S, iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus colors.

Two-in-one devices also declining
While it might seem that two-in-one tablet devices are on the rise, they are actually falling just like the iPad. Two-in-one devices are like the popular Microsoft Surface Pro, which allow users to remove the keyboard and use them as tablets or keep the keyboards on and work the devices as laptops.

Other competitors like Lenovo recently released its new two-in-one tablet device called the Yoga to battle with both tablet markets, Android Authority reported. However, the IDC reported overall two-in-one sales are expected to reach 8.7 million units, which is only 4 percent of the overall tablet and two-in-one market.

Jean Philippe Bouchard, research director for tablets at IDC, explained that Android might see the advantage in the tablet market because of the newer devices.

"We need to look at how the tablet ecosystem is answering these challenges, and right now we see a lot of pressure on tablet prices and an influx of entry-level products, which ultimately serves Android really well," said Philippe Bouchard. "But we also see tablet manufacturers trying to offset this price pressure by focusing on larger screens and cellular-enabled tablets. The next six months should be really interesting."

Whichever device consumers choose, having personal insurance to protect theirs smartphones and tablets is ideal to keep these pieces of equipment running for the long haul.