Number of Tablets Sold Worldwide in 2011

Tablet computers are gaining market share – what does that mean for you?

The number of tablets sold worldwide in 2010 compared to 2011 saw a dramatic increase, which far exceeded industry expectations. An estimated 19.7 million tablet PC’s were shipped worldwide in 2010 with an estimated 35 million predicted for 2011.

The total amount of tablets shipped in 2011 was more than double what analysts predicted with 73 million tablets sold, which amounted to a 25.5 share of the mobile pc market. The growth is expected to continue with the amount of tablets predicted to ship in 2017 expected to be 383.3 million. It is expected that while much of this growth will be to new users, a significant portion of this increase will be at the expense of mobile PC’s.

The popularity of the tablet has more organizations thinking outside the box when it comes to using traditional desktop computers for their workers. Tablets and smartphones are becoming increasingly more popular in the workplace as the workforce become more mobile. Portability and ease-of-use are becoming increasingly sought after by the business community. Smaller form factors such as most smartphones have limitations when it comes to processing complex applications. With more employees asking for more convenience and choice in hardware, tablets are being sought to accommodate accounting and business enterprise needs.

The tablet offers a stripped down version of the more ‘traditional’ laptop and many critics wonder how large a place the tablet will carve out for itself in the workplace. With no keyboard or mouse and limited software applications many tablets seem to be better suited for personal use than in a business meeting. Despite the limitations, many organizations with field workers see an advantage to equipping their workforce with tablets to take advantage of the instant-on ability, longer battery life, ease of use, and portability. The truth is that portable computers have a low rate of adoption for most applications. The tablet offers a viable way to change that.

The first iPad captured 90 per cent of the tablet market share, a number while impressive is not that surprising considering that Apple initially created the first tablet that was readily adopted by consumers, leaving the competition scrambling to compete. With Android, BlackBerry, and now Microsoft throwing their hats in the tablet ring, it will be interesting to see how consumers respond to the overall selection. While the PC tablets offer a much higher level of functionality than the iPad, BlackBerry, and Android offerings, users will be pleasantly surprised with what you can with these latter options.

Organization reluctant to consider tablets may change their minds as iPads become increasingly popular in the workplace and tablets running a tablet-friendly Windows 8 debuting sometime in 2012. A tablet running Windows 8 blends the flexibility of a tablet with the functionality of a laptop by running Microsoft Office applications such as Word and Excel, which are not available on the iPad. Microsoft has released a video overview of Windows 8 running on a tablet and the initial reactions are positive.

As you consider your mobility needs, don’t rule out tablets. The next several months will see significant improvement in the software becoming available for the mobility market. Contact Open Door Technology for more information on what a tablet offering can do for your organization.