Global consumer-tablet shipments hit a remarkable 15.5 million in the third quarter of 2011, more than tripling from the same period the year before. Not surprisingly, that's an all-time high, likely to be broken by the fourth quarter, which included the holiday season.
In Q3 2010, most of the 4.5 million shipments were the original iPad, which was about the only tablet being moved then. But now that multiple devices are available from a bevy of manufacturers – including, of course, Apple's iPad 2, the hottest-selling of them all – the market has taken off in a big way. In its latest Tablet Tracking report, Futuresource Consulting says tablet shipments are hot across the U.S., Europe and Japan in particular.
The U.S., the report says, accounts for nearly half (46 percent) of tablet ownership. Of the 15.5 million shipments in Q3 2011, 7.1 million were to the U.S., and 4.2 million to Europe.
Seventy percent of the shipments in the U.S. are Apple's iPad, but Samsung, HP and others are gaining some ground compared to Q3 2010. Apple isn't quite as dominant in Europe, but still leads the way.
Futuresource Consulting says sports will play a big role in tablet adoption in 2012, as fans will increasingly buy the devices to keep up with event results. Also consider that more and more sporting events are being streamed live on tablets and smartphones for the first time, including the Super Bowl in February.
The consulting firm anticipates tablet prices to continue dropping over the next four years and expects many more households to have more than one tablet as the amount of content available increases.
