The worldwide media tablet market grew 45.1 percent in the third quarter of 2010, driven almost exclusively by global demand for Apple's iPad, according to the International Data Corporation (IDC) Worldwide Quarterly Media Tablet and e-Reader Tracker. Vendors shipped 4.8 million units globally in the quarter, compared to 3.3 million units in the second quarter of 2010. The iPad represented nearly 90 percent of the media tablets shipped worldwide during the third quarter of 2010.
The growing popularity of tablet devices among consumers worldwide is evidenced not only by the adoption of media tablets, but also e-readers, the study notes. The third quarter of 2010 saw global e-reader shipments increase to 2.7 million units, representing 40 percent growth over the previous quarter, with the US representing nearly three-quarters of the worldwide e-reader market.
Looking forward, IDC expects the media tablet market to finish 2010 at nearly 17 million units, and forecasts 44.6 million will ship in 2011, with the US representing nearly 40 percent of the total. In 2012, IDC forecasts worldwide shipments of 70.8 million units. Growth in 2011 and beyond will be driven by device vendors introducing media tablets based on the Android and other operating systems, as well as price and feature competition and strong demand in both the consumer and commercial segments.
For the e-reader market, IDC anticipates 2010 to close at 10.8 million units shipped worldwide, with the US representing 72.4 percent of global shipments. IDC forecasts 14.7 million units to ship in 2011 and 16.6 million in 2012. The demand is likely to be driven by price competition among e-paper-based device vendors, the introduction of colour display e-readers, and the expansion of digital book and periodical content offerings across genres and languages.
The Worldwide Quarterly Media Tablet and eReader Tracker includes quarterly shipment and forecast analysis for over 30 countries including market size and vendor share. Detailed market segmentation and product attributes such as operating system, connectivity and storage capacity are also provided.
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