A hundred tablets in development as CES 2011 prepares for an onslaught

As manufacturers look to chase down iPad's ever mounting lead, it's been predicted that up to a hundred different tablet devices are in development.

That's the view of DisplaySearch analyst Richard Semenza in a report by Associated Press detailing the expected unveiling of several new devices at CES 2011.

Already confirmed are tablets from TV manufacturers Vizio and AOC evidence, if nothing else, of the kind of sectors now taking an interest in the tablet market while the likes of Toshiba, Dell, Acer, Asus, HP, Lenovo and Motorola (see video) are also expected to roll out new models at the show,

Most of these devices will be running Google's tablet-specific Android Honeycomb OS.

Outside Apple

The problem these devices face, of course, is iPad's existing userbase, with projections for 2011's total over 20 million.

Apple's lead seems almost insurmountable, given the obvious advantages access to the App Store also provides.

However, analysts believe sales will be strong enough across the whole tablet market to make taking a punt on a tablet too irresistible for most OEMs to resist.

Samsung's already sold one million of its Galaxy Tabs, while the iPad's relatively high cost provides another opportunity for differentiation 

"This is the starting gun for tablets, except Apple had a yearlong lead in the race," BGC analyst Colin Gillis said in the report.

"At CES, the noise is going to get extremely loud. The marketplace is large and just barely penetrated, so they'll have a modicum of success."

[source: Associated Press]