U.S. Tablet Shipments to Double in 2011

Posted 07/23/2010 at 7:22am | by Paul Lilly

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We don't know if the Consumer Electronics Association is playing the part of Captain Obvious by saying that tablet shipments will double in the U.S. in 2011, or Captain Conservative considering how well this emerging segment has been performing as largely a one-man show.

"Considering these products weren't on the market a year [ago], it's staggering how fast they are developing," said Steve Kidera, a CEA spokesman.

According to Apple, the one-man show shipped its three millionth iPad just 80 days after its introduction in the U.S., and that number is even higher here a month later. Other companies are planning to join in the fun, however, and the CEA predicts we'll see U.S. tablet shipments reach 6.9 million units by the end of the year, generating revenue of $4.3 billion.

Impressive as all this is, CEA may be underselling the tablet market a bit. Apple's iPad has been on the market for less than four months, and we've yet to see all these promised slates materialize. But they're coming, and combined with a possible iPad refresh as early as April 2011, there's certainly potential for the tablet market to more than double in size next year.