Expectations of strong demand for media tablets in the second half of 2012 has led International Data Corporation (IDC) to increase its forecast for the worldwide market to 107.4 million units for the year, up from its previous forecast of 106.1 million units. “Demand for media tablets remains robust, and we see an increasing interest in the category from the commercial side,” said Tom Mainelli, the company’s research director, Mobile Connected Devices. “We expect pending new products from major players, increasingly affordable mainstream devices, and a huge marketing blitz from Microsoft around Windows 8 to drive increased consumer interest in the category through the end of the year.”
In the latest forecast update of its Worldwide Quarterly Media Tablet and eReader Tracker, IDC also revised upward its 2013 forecast number from 137.4 million units to 142.8 million units, with worldwide shipments now expected to reach 222.1 million units by 2016. IDC also updated its forecast to shift a larger percentage of future units toward iOS and away from Android. IDC now expects iOS to grow its share of the market in 2012 to 62.5%, up from 58.2% in 2011. Meanwhile Android’s share will slip from 38.7% in 2011 to 36.5% in 2012. IDC expects third-place Blackberry to slip from 1.7% to 1%. “
After a very strong launch of new products in March, Apple’s iPad shows few signs of slowing down,” Mainelli added. “The addition of the Retina Display and 4G capabilities to the third-generation products clearly enticed many current owners to upgrade... If Apple launches a sub-$300, 7-inch product into the market later this year as rumoured, we expect the company’s grip on this market to become even stronger.”
