Date: 19/10/2010

ABI: 11 million media tablets and 43 million netbooks to ship worldwide in 2010

According to new forecasts from ABI Research, just over 11 million media tablets and 43 million netbooks will ship worldwide in 2010. That is somewhat lower than observers expected at the end of last year based on the diminutive computers' remarkable showing in the period following their introduction. Nonetheless, says ABI Research principal analyst Jeff Orr, "43 million netbook shipments are good growth, just not the meteoric pace of the past couple of years."

Part of the drop in demand for netbooks may be laid at the feet of the potentially-competitive media tablets. However tablets are still a long way from the 40-50 million annual shipments that ABI Research considers the threshold for a "mass market" product - a definition that netbooks still fit.

"Apple has sold a few million iPads in its first quarter, which is great for creating a new market," Orr says. "But early adoption of media tablets is not outpacing netbooks. The iPad average selling price above $650 isn't driving mass adoption. Competition, especially on price, is needed."

The tablet market is expected to see more players by the end of 2010. At present its Apple's iPad vs Samsung's Galaxy.

Kevin Burden, practice director, says "RIM's new PlayBook tablet may be more palatable to IT managers because at this point it's not a standalone device: it needs to be paired with a BlackBerry."