In-Stat: Three Regions to Dominate Tablet Usage

SCOTTSDALE: North America, the Asia Pacific and Western Europe will account for 91 percent of all tablet unit shipments in 2015, according to new research from In-Stat.

"There is obviously strong potential for tablets, as there has been with other mobile electronic devices," said Stephanie Ethier, senior analyst. "One key difference, however, is that the commercial market also represents a potential revenue opportunity for tablet OEMs. Usage models and user requirements will differ in the commercial market, but as the overall tablet market becomes more defined, the opportunities for tablets within business markets will become more apparent."

The new In-Stat research, 2Q11 Portable and Computing Connected Device Database, also finds that at more than 129 billion units, portable media players (PMPs) represented the largest number of portable device units shipped in 2010. North America is expected to account for the largest e-reader market, with 58 percent of all e-reader units shipped into the region in 2015. Personal navigation device (PND) shipments are expected to peak in 2012, then decline steadily over the remaining forecast period. Shipments for handheld game consoles will grow approximately 20 percent over the next year, due in part to the launch of the Nintendo 3DS.