Tablet shipments will reach 253 million by 2016, nearly a
five-fold increase from the 55.2 million tablets the company expects to reach
the market in 2011, according to Juniper Research.

With a second generation of Apple’s iPad hitting the
market earlier this year, other smartphone vendors have followed suit: HTC, LG,
Motorola and RIM launched first generation models in 2011.

As other opportunities elsewhere in the PC market
diminish, leading players from this space including Acer, ASUS, Dell, HP and
Toshiba are also joining the fray.

Shipments of tablets with additional cellular
connectivity are currently much lower than those with only WiFi network access,
but Juniper forecasts the balance will shift significantly. Network access will
play a key role; 4G networks in developed markets will enable richer services
over cellular connections, and the lack of fixed-line infrastructure in
emerging markets will make cellular connections a must-have as tablets are
adopted regionally.

Operator retail strategy also has a part to play: ‘Multi-device plans (for a smartphone and a tablet) will overcome the problem
of consumers not wanting to pay another subscription,” said Report author
Daniel Ashdown.

Microsoft’s official announcement that its Windows 8 OS
will be orientated for tablets strongly indicates that mobile in particular
smartphones and tablets is the fastest growing space in consumer technology.
Microsoft’s Office suite will also add to the attraction of tablets within the
enterprise space.

Juniper’s report forecasts that nearly a fifth of annual
tablet shipments will reach the enterprise space by 2016, as business continues
to realise the potential of the device for content creation.

By Telecomlead.com Team
editor@telecomlead.com