Worldwide tablet shipments to jump five-fold to 253 million by 2016, reckons Juniper

HP might have pulled out just weeks after launching its first device, and BlackBerry's PlayBook is already being branded a flop in some quarters, but Juniper Research sees only growth for the tablet market.

Much of this expansion, which it predicts will see shipments increase five-fold to 253 million units by 2016, will be the result of a 'grass is always greener' attitude from PC manufacturers.

Juniper believes the narrowing PC market will result in a continued flow of computer OEMs having a dabble with tablets, following in the path of Asus, Acer, Dell and Toshiba.

Payment plans

Add to that second generation devices from HTC, LG and Motorola, and we're set for a flurry of new tablets in 2012, with take-up aided by retailers adopting new pricing strategies in the near future.

"Multi-device plans - for a smartphone and a tablet - will overcome the problem of consumers not wanting to pay another subscription," said report author Daniel Ashdown.

However, the biggest evidence of the increasing important of the tablet market, is Microsoft's decision to accommodate the form factor in Windows 8.

Big M

"Microsoft's official announcement that its Windows 8 OS will be orientated for tablets strongly indicates that mobile - in particular smartphones and tablets - is the fastest growing space in consumer technology," he concludes.

"Microsoft's Office suite will also add to the attraction of tablets within the enterprise space. Juniper's report forecasts that nearly a fifth of annual tablet shipments will reach the enterprise space by 2016, as business continues to realise the potential of the device for content creation."

Juniper Research's tablet whitepaper, which pegs 2011's shipment figure at 55.2 million, can be cost £2,500. You can find out more details here. 

[source: MarketWire]