Analyst reckons Apple will sell 19.4 million iPads in the US during 2011

The one consistent thing about tablet sales projections published by analysts across the board is that they all have them going up.

The only factors that differ are, by how much, and just how large Apple's share of the market will prove to be.

Sales surge

There's no doubt first mover advantage has already given iPad a user base the size its competitors can currently only dream of, and in eMarketer's view, sales will more than double in 2011.

The company estimates Apple will have sold 8.5 million iPads across the US throughout the course of 2010 a figure that will rise to 19.4 million in 2011, with the launch of iPad 2 presumably the catalyst.

Sales will continue to rise in 2012 to 30.1 million sold.

With tablet sales as a whole topping 40 million units according to eMarketer projections, that means Apple will still hold a 74 percent share of the US market - despite the launch of what is predicted to be a wealth of Android, MeeGo, webOS and Windows 7-based tablets in the intervening years.

"Worldwide, tablet sales will increase even more quickly, and the iPad will be slightly less prominent - but retain the greatest part of the market, projected at 69 percent in 2012," eMarketer says in its summary.

"The US will account for most tablet and iPad sales over the period."

Trading projections

The website's numbers roughly correlate with those made by analysts over the course of the last few months.

Back in September, Piper Jaffray analyst Gene Munster put iPad sales in 2011 at 21 million albeit globally, rather than just in the US.

In the same month, UBS Investment analyst Maynard Um predicted Apple would sell a "conservative" 28 million, while rumours have suggested Apple itself plans to manufacture 48 million units throughout the course of the year.

In comparison, Samsung has previously stated it intends to sell 10 million Galaxy Tabs by the end of 2011.

Acer chairman J. T. Wang has also claimed Apple will only hold on to 20-30 percent of the tablet market as it matures in the coming years.

[source: eMarketer]