infoTECH Feature

January 05, 2011

Forrester Prediction: 2011 Will Be the Year of the Tablets

Apple has certainly enjoyed dominance in the tablet market. Until Samsung launched its Galaxy S tablet based on the Google Android (News - Alert) operating system in November, Apple was the only player and could command top dollar and market ownership, selling nearly 14 million units since its April launch.

Now, according to this New York Times blog, the tablets are coming and 2011 will be the year for takeoff on a wider tablet market.

A report by Sarah Rotman Epps, a Forrester Research (News - Alert) analyst specializing in mobile computing, showed that a new model of the Apple iPad and a new version of the Google (News - Alert) Android platform, known as Honeycomb, will ensure a number of new options are available at varying sizes and prices.

The report, published by Forrester, also includes predictions that 24 million people will buy e-readers in 2011; a number that will grow to 35 million by 2012.

Other companies are also getting into the game, including TV-maker, Vizio. TMCnet reported this week that the company is making the move into the smartphone and tablet computer space and plans to work with Google to compete on par with Apple (News - Alert) and Research in Motion.

Schools are also embracing tablets as a key tool to boost education. Winnie Hu reported Tuesday in The Times that schools are readily embracing the iPad, seeking grants and other sources of funding to support the implementation of these devices.

According to Epps, as captured in the Forrester report, the predictions of tablet sales are rising from earlier estimates due to change in usage. Researchers noted that iPad and other tablet owners are using the devices in ways that were not anticipated.

Epps wrote in the report that while tablets are certainly used for productivity, they are also proving themselves to be “lifestyle devices” at home and at work. She believes consumers will upgrade to newer models more rapidly than they would a more utilitarian device such as a PC.

In other tablet news, TMCnet reported earlier this week that this year’s Consumer Electronics Show (CES (News - Alert)) set to launch today in Las Vegas is sure to feature a full range of new tablets ready to hit the market. According to industry analysts, tablets will be the big sellers this year and next, displacing a fair number of PCs in the process.


Susan J. Campbell is a contributing editor for TMCnet and has also written for eastbiz.com. To read more of Susan’s articles, please visit her columnist page.

Edited by Jaclyn Allard
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