Apple is expected gain significant share of the tablets market, with
strong pre-orders for iPad tablets and millions projected to ship
in
2010. Yet, many other suppliers are rolling out tablet products
this
year, with a fair share of these based on Google's Android
operating
system. IMS
Research estimates that about 24% of the tablets shipping in
2010
will be based on Android.
Anna Hunt, report author and principal analyst at IMS Research,
states,
"The user interface and content that a tablet supplier brings to
the
table will likely influence purchase decisions just as much as
hardware
requirements. Suppliers are realizing the importance of content
and
service and many are turning to the Android ecosystem to be able
to
offer the complete user experience and compete with Apple's
offering."
In addition to Android and Apple OS, Microsoft Windows 7 will also
account for a fair share of the tablet market, estimated by IMS
Research
at 10% of shipments in 2010 and expected to grow its share onward.
"Right now many of the applications specifically designed for the
iPad
platform, which are starting to hit the iTunes App Store, are
actually
more expensive than apps for the iPhone OS platform. This leaves
an
opportunity for suppliers that can offer a tablet solution that is
overall more price competitive," adds Hunt. "Over the next couple
of
years, we can expect a variety of tablet models that may not be
able to
run word processing software, but will offer a variety of
web-based and
multimedia applications for under $200 to the end user." IMS
Research
forecasts that starting in 2012, over half of the tablets sold
each year
will be distributed via mobile and fixed carriers, who will offer
increasingly competitive service plans and up-front equipment
subsidies
to attract purchasers and increase subscription revenues.
IMS Research recently published a new study on the market entitled
Impact
of Connected Tablets on the Consumer Electronics Market - 2010
edition.
Detailed unit shipment and revenues forecasts are offered in a
variety of segmentations, including by connectivity, by multimedia
feature, by screen size, by operating system, and more. Over 25
suppliers in the tablet market are profiled in the study.