Research company says tablet shipments will grow by 242% this year

According to foreign media reports, market research firm IMS said on Tuesday that the growing tablet PC and e-reader market will continue to hit PC makers this year, occupying more of the portable PC market share.

According to the IMS report, tablet PCs and e-readers had strong sales in the fourth quarter thanks to the holiday shopping season. During the quarter, shipments of e-readers increased by 90% from the third quarter, an increase of 116% year-on-year to 5.1 million units. Amazon's Kindle and Barnes & Noble ("B&N") NOOK were the biggest winners in the market.

Apple iPad’s dominant tablet shipments were even better in the fourth quarter. In the quarter, the tablet PC market grew by 124%, with shipments reaching 9.4 million units. Apple is in a leading position in the market, occupying 78% of the market. Samsung is second in the market. Tablet PCs, despite their eye-catching performance, only accounted for 8% of the portable PC market in 2010. However, IMS expects the tablet market to break out this year. The company expects that tablet PC shipments in 2011 will grow by 242% to 58 million, accounting for 23% of the portable PC market.

The following are the main contents of the IMS report:

In the fourth quarter of 2010, global shipments of e-readers reached 5.1 million, a 90% increase from the previous quarter and an increase of 116% year-on-year. Amazon and B&N are the biggest winners. They have grabbed market share from competitors such as Sony and Hanwang. B&N replaced Sony in second place in the market. Its latest NOOK Color e-reader, penetration in the retail market, and the expanding eBookstore e-book store should give it more market share.

Ross Young, senior vice president of IMS, said, “Given the strong marketing promotion in the first quarter and the prevalence of NOOK Color, we expect the seasonal impact of the e-reader market to be limited during the quarter. Electronics in this quarter Shipment volume of readers is expected to increase by 2% QoQ and by 178% from the same period of last year to 5.2 million. The annual growth rate of e-readers in 2011 is expected to reach 146% and the shipment volume will reach 29 million. The growth will mainly benefit from lower prices in the second half of the year. The increase in new features and the greater price advantage over tablet PCs."

Tablet PCs outperform e-readers in the fourth quarter of 2010, with sales volume up 124% qoq to 9.4 million units, mainly due to the iPad’s strong performance in the holiday shopping season and the significant sales contribution of the Samsung Galaxy Tab. Apple's iPad market share dropped to 78%.

In the first quarter of 2011, the tablet PC market is also expected to be affected by limited seasonal factors, with shipments falling 6% to 8.8 million.

IMS expects that the full-year shipment of tablet PCs will increase by 242% to 58 million in 2011. This figure accounts for 23% of the portable PC market and is up from 8% in 2010. This is mainly due to the rapid popularity of tablet computers. And for more and more people to accept. Given its software, cost, price, and pioneering advantages, Apple expects to maintain a 75%+ tablet PC market share this year. Tablet PC shipments are expected to increase by 247 percent to 63 million.