Nonetheless, with Gartner predicting 2010 tablet sales will hit 19.5 million, rising by 181 percent to 54.8 million in 2011, the question of which products will suffer as a result is a burning one.
Hit where it hurts
"The all-in-one nature of media tablets will result in the cannibalisation of other consumer electronics devices such as e-readers, gaming devices and media players," said Gartner research VP Carolina Milanesi of the figures.
"Mini notebooks will suffer from the strongest cannibalisation threat as media tablet average selling prices drop below $300 over the next two years."
In a report on the rise of connected mobile consumer electronics, Gartner states that such growth is just the start.
In 2012, the firm believes more than 103 million tablets will be sold worldwide, reaching 154 million in 2013 and 208 million a year by 2014.
As such, the notion that only notebooks will be hit is naïve in Milanesi's view, with the multifunctional nature of tablets meaning top end smartphones might also suffer.
Not so smart
"The majority of the impact will be from 7-inch media tablets on high end smartphones as it will be hard for a user to justify owning both when the differentiation in usage model is very limited," Gartner states.
"Users buying a 7-inch tablet might opt for a lower priced smartphone with a smaller form factor."
Indeed, she predicts the top range of tablets will begin to prove the most popular, with sales of celluar/wi-fi capable devices rising from a 55 percent share to 80 percent by 2010.
You can purchase the full report from $1,495 from Gartner's website.
