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| via Apple.com |
The tablet market has been burgeoning more than ever in recent months, as they have gradually gained acceptance in both domestic, individualistic environments as well as enterprise users. A report by Forrester Research has claimed that the Apple iPad’s dominance will be maintained until at least 2016.
The 56 million devices sold in 2011 are expected to increase almost sevenfold by 2016 – to 375 million units. Moreover, 40% of all tablets sold are expected to be from emerging markets in 2016 according to the report.
The report identifies Amazon Inc.’s Kindle Fire as the only viable competitor to counter the iPad’s dominance. Its own low price target segment is perhaps the only reasonable substitute for the developer support and abundance of content for the iPad.
What is more interesting is that the report acknowledges the possible threats posed by Windows 8 for tablets, as well as Android , but discounts their long term threat to the iPad.
The likes of Research in Motion Inc. (the Canadian maker most synonymous with Blackberry, and the associated called the Playbook) and Hewlett Packard (who had launched the TouchPad last year) have burnt their hands in the tablet market already as they ran proprietary operating systems that weren’t well received by either users or developers. In general, the report makes it clear that the iPad faces no threatening competition that can affect it well into the foreseeable future.
