Reports recently published by various analysts have shown that the sale of tablets has increased greatly over the last year and the trend is set to continue.
A report by DisplaySearch expects that by 2014, the number of computers sold will be 500 million and one-third of these are expected to be tablet devices.
While there were only about 2 million tablets in 2009 and about 20 million tablets last year, there will be 202 million tablets by 2015 according to iHS iSuppli.
Apple’s iPad continues to hold the largest market share among tablets. However, Android-based tablets are also growing in popularity according to Strategy Analytics. During the last quarter of 2010 22% of tablets sold were running on Android OS. While Apple held 95% of the market share during the third quarter of 2010, it held only 75% of the market share in the last quarter.
Tablet sales 2009 – forecast 2015. Data source: Gartner and iSuppli
Among the Android-based tablets, the Samsung Galaxy Tab was the most popular. Android-based tablets are growing in popularity not only because of their relatively lower cost but also because of accompanying features such as YouTube and Google Maps. The planned launch of the Android 3.0 for tablets is expected to further boost the sale of Android tablets.
The entry of other companies such as Dell, Hewlett Packard and Research In Motion, in the tablet market will also further boost the growth of the tablet market.
