Like many other Tablet owners, I constantly get questions about what the Tablet PC can do, how expensive they are, and whether they are niche products. People are often concerned with how well Tables are selling too. I somewhat understand the sentiment. If Tablets aren’t selling well, I don’t want to invest in one either. It’s kind of like picking a good restaurant, if there are no customers, this is probably a good indication that you should look for another place to eat.
The reality is that most people believe that Tablets aren’t selling well.
They are surprised, therefore, when I tell them that Tablets sales continue to grow. According to this Lenovo press release, IDC is indicating that this year alone Tablet sales will surpass one million. At an average of $2,000 each for hardware, software and services that would yield about a $2 billion dollar Tablet market this year.
Most people are quite surprised when they hear numbers like this. They have no idea.
Maybe as Tablets find their way onto more store shelves this “surprise” will wane. Here’s hoping.
Whether it’s going to take some major manufacturers, Intel, Microsoft, or some other large company to pay their way onto more store shelves or the consumers to pull Tablets into the retail space, I don’t know.
One possible scenario I see unfolding now is that as more schools adopt Tablets that more students will be looking for them at their local CompUSA or computer reseller. This could be the ingredient that begins to draw consumer demand in the retail space. More Tablets in schools will mean more Tablet accessories, more Tablet software, and more Tablet questions.
As the Lenovo press release points out, IDC is predicting that the Tablet market will grow to four million units a year by 2010. Numbers like this suggest that the retail experience will have to change by then. Tablets will need to be more accessible to consumers and in more stores.
Add in the ISV applications, accessories and services and the market is even larger. 🙂