IHS Ups Tablet Forecast, Apple Continues to Dominate Market
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According to a new report from research firm IHS iSuppli, Apple will increase tablet shipments at a rate faster than what was previously expected this year.
Apple is expected to ship 44 million units in 2011. This is an increase from iSuppli’s previous prediction in May, which suggested that Apple would ship 43.7 million units. By 2015, iSuppli expects Apple to be shipping 120.1 million iPads.
Globally, tablet shipments are expected to rise to 60 million units in 2011, which is an astounding 246 percent increase from the number of tablets shipped in 2010. Back in May, iSuppli forecasted a global sales number of 58.9 million, but that has changed thanks to fewer supply problems for Apple.
In 2015, iSuppli expects 275.3 million tablet shipments worldwide, with Apple accounting for 43.6 percent of that number. Currently, Apple makes up 74 percent of tablet shipments.
Apple’s 74 percent marketshare is due to poor sales of Android tablets, which have not yet come up with the proper formula of marketing, apps, hardware, and pricing to compete with Apple’s iPad.
iSuppli suggests that Apple’s current patent litigation against companies like Samsung is preventing and slowing competitors from entering key markets. These numbers are no surprise, as Apple is leagues ahead currently developing the third iteration of the iPad while competitors have yet to have a successful entry into the tablet market.
