Telecom Lead America: The size of the tablet devices market in 2013 will be 145 million, according to ABI Research.
Growth drivers include a combination of new market entrants, more affordable choices for consumers, and increased adoption by business audiences.
ABI Research says the rate of innovation is slowing as tablet vendors augment their product portfolios to meet the needs of market audiences.
“The late 2012 launches of Apple’s iPad mini and a variety of slates based on Intel architecture and new Windows operating systems will only begin to show their progress this year,” said ABI Research Senior Practice Director Jeff Orr.
North America region is likely to consume over 50 percent of worldwide shipments.
Business interest in tablets is expected to grow to 19 percent of all shipments in 2013 as more PC OEMs unveil product solutions designed for the workplace. While some cannibalization of the PC installed base is likely, the majority of new tablet opportunity comes from workers that have, until now, worked without the benefits of computing technologies.
Meanwhile, Apple on Wednesday said it sold 22.9 million iPads during the first quarter of fiscal 2013, compared to 15.4 million in the year-ago quarter.
