The tablet computer, a device that first came about when Apple’s (NASDAQ:AAPL) first iPad was launched in 2010, may eventually sell more than the laptop or notebook in 2016, according to NPD DisplaySearch.
The leading market research company released a forecast Tuesday stating that tablets, primarily the iPad, may ship to the tune of over 350 million units in 2016. As for the iPad, NPD predicted that Apple will take up more than 60 percent of the tablet market in 2012, but may only have a 51 percent share by 2017, as per a previous forecast.
They did not mention how many percent tablet market share Apple would have in 2016. The forecasts covered a span of five years, starting this year and ending in 2017.
The total number of tablets shipped may reach 121 million units by the end of this year and increase to 416 million by the end of 2017. The notebook market would grow in this five-year span, according to the figures, but not as quickly. 393 million notebooks are projected to be shipped by the end of 2017, up from an estimated 208 million for 2012.
According to NPD DisplaySearch analyst Richard Shim, consumers, most notably those in mature markets, are gravitating towards tablet computers, rather than notebooks. These markets may be the most fertile for tablet sales going forward due to the advanced “services and infrastructure” their respective areas possess.
As of 2017, 254 million tablets are expected to be shipped to these mature markets.