Total global tablet sales including consumer, commercial, industrial and institutional exceeded 64 million units in 2011 and are on track to reach 232 million units in 2016, according to the latest Tablet Technology and Markets report from Futuresource Consulting.
In the consumer market, tablet ownership will increase by 200 percent across the U.S. and western Europe over the next two years. An installed base of nearly 52 million was achieved in 2011 across the two regions, with the market on track to exceed 153 million units in 2013. Ownership will be highest in the U.S., with western European markets showing significant opportunities for growth.
Tablets have cannibalized the demand for netbooks, but consumers still see the device as an addition to conventional PCs or Macs rather than a replacement. As a result, consumer tablet sales dominated the overall tablet market in 2011 accounting for over 90 percent of tablet shipments.
In addition, tablets are a significant force in the growth of the app market, accounting for 10 percent of total mobile app downloads in 2011, and with relentless development and availability of apps across multiple platforms expectations are for this share to almost double in 2016. More importantly, tablet owners are more likely to pay for apps, particularly within the U,S,, according to a new consumer research report in the ‘Living with Digital’ series from Futuresource.
Tablet owners are keen media users, a trait which presents an opportunity for content owners to develop major added-value services to complement existing offers, according to Futuresource. It is unlikely that tablets will displace large screen TV sets, though tablets will drive full length online video growth, with key applications allowing content to be played out from one screen to another, providing users with high quality mobile viewing.
Apple has maintained its dominance since the launch of the first iPad. However, as Android-powered devices from Samsung, Amazon and Asus gain traction and increase in popularity, it is no longer all about the iPad. A notable rise in market share is anticipated from other brands as more advanced devices are launched and content platforms develop, providing the option to move content across multiple devices.
Tablets have also revolutionized the world of news publishing, with the majority of publishers now selling digital editions, and together with dedicated e-Readers such as Amazon’s Kindle, these devices have triggered a shift away from printed books into e-Books. Annual trade for digital book sales is forecast to achieve significant growth with digital downloads in the U.S. expected to account for almost 70 percent of book sales by 2016, a substantial rise from 20 percent in 2011. Similar progression is expected in the UK, with digital sales reaching almost 40 percent share.
The new strategic Tablet Technology and Markets report from Futuresource Consulting explores the opportunities and the five year outlook, together with assessments of the impact on the audio-visual content sector, now and moving forward. The analysis looks at the competitive situation and the factors which have driven Apple’s dominance in this burgeoning new market as applications and content become key success factors.
For more information or to make a purchase visit futuresource-consulting.com or contact Simon Bryant on +44 (0)1582 500 152 or via [email protected].
