ABI Predicts Bright Future for Media Tablets

If you thought the sale of 4 million tablet computing devices in 2009 was phenomenal, get ready for some serious business in 2015. According to ABI Research, shipments of such tablet computing devices are expected to reach about 57 million annually. The high-profile launch by Apple (News - Alert) last week of its long-rumored iPad tablet computing device highlights this trend.

 

Tablet computing devices will primarily focus on entertainment, claims ABI. This will be an interesting proposition for the customers as laptops are focused on productivity, and mobile phones are still primarily about communication. Users can perform activities such as watching videos, Web surfing, using Facebook (News - Alert) or IM and reading e-mails with these media tablets.

 

According to ABI, media tablets are devices that have a touch-screen interface, are 5-11 inches in size, have Wi-Fi Internet connectivity and video and gaming capabilities. Other features are available in some media tablets. The players in this category will be traditional computer vendors and new, smaller vendors.

 

“Apple’s iPad is not the first media tablet,” says senior analyst Jeff Orr. “But it does help define this new device category. The main focus of media tablets is entertainment. A tablet will not replace a laptop, netbook or mobile phone, but will remain an additional premium or luxury product for wealthy industrialized markets for at least several years.”