Ever since the introduction of iPad, it had been surmised that tablets would eventually annihilate the fledgling netbook segment and
this has now happened. In the second quarter of 2010, tablets shipments outnumbered netbooks. According to ABI Research, a market research and intelligence firm, tablet shipments increased 112.5 percent, while netbook shipment decreased during the second quarter of the year.
In comparison to 7.3 million units of netbooks, 13.6 million units of tablets were shipped in Q2, 2011. For the last quarter, the figures were 8.4 million and 6.4 million respectively. The research firm is also convinced that the trend is likely to continue. According to ABI Group, "As they are different segments, this is not a direct replacement behavior, but a changing of leadership for the most interesting device type."
In tablet segment, iPad is still ruling the roost with 68 percent contribution to the units shipped during the quarter. The research report also states that tablets are gaining favor as these are easy to use, easy to transport and thus are popular with the people who prefer easy computing. The report also suggests that the above pros clearly surpass the con of higher price tag. On an average, a tablet is priced almost double to a netbook.
The shipment figure for tablets is likely to cross over 60 million units in 2011. However, both the products have their own geographic niche. While netbooks are still strong in 'underserved' countries, tablets are scooping up the early adopter markets in the US, Western Europe and Japan. Tablets are likely to consolidate their position further with the introduction of newer tablets.