Apple's unveiling of the iPad last week, and other similar devices introduced at CES last month, are expected to make tablets a huge growth category in the coming years. An ABI Research study released Tuesday projected exactly how huge- 57 million units by 2015.
ABI found that while only around four million tablets will be sold this year, that number will multiple by a factor of nearly 15 in the next five years.
“Apple’s iPad is not the first media tablet,” ABI senior analyst Jeff Orr said as part of the announcement. “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.”
Click here for more on the study.
I confess I am not charmed with the iPad. A decent one is almost $600. It has no webcam, nocamera feature, and limied SD card. A good MID device (such as the 7 inch Astak Spectrum) does everything the iPad does but has these features. And, unlike the iPad, the Spectrum works for eBook reading. While you can read eBooks on the iPad… does anyone really think a 1.5 pound device is ideal for this??