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Non-PC Smartphones and Tablets to Flourish in 2011, Says IDC

By Johnston Bryan 12/03/2010

Non PC Smartphones and Tablets to Flourish in 2011, Says IDC

IDC has released its predictions for 2011. It predicts that mobile computing - on a variety of devices and through a range of new applications - will continue to explode in 2011, forming another critical plank in the new industry platform. Smartphone sales will increase 22 percent next year with 330 million to be sold.

IDC expects shipments of app-capable, non-PC mobile devices (smartphones, media tablets, etc.) will outnumber PC shipments within the next 18 months, and there will be no looking back.

IDC reported that the media tablet sales will reach 42 million in 2011 with Apple's iPad leading the market. IDC predicts that half of the 2.1 billion people who regularly use the Internet will do so using non-PC devices.

While vendors with a PC heritage will scramble to secure their position in this rapidly expanding market, another battle will be taking place for dominance in the mobile apps market. The level of activity in this market will be staggering, with IDC expecting nearly 25 billion mobile apps to be downloaded in 2011, up from just over 10 billion in 2010. Over time, the still-emerging apps ecosystems promise to fundamentally restructure the channels for all digital content and services to consumers.