Tablet shipments set to boom as Intel eyes market opportunity
1 min read
While global shipments of pcs in 2011 are forecasted to rise by 12.5% over 2010 and by a further 11.3% in 2012, demand for tablet style products, such as the iPad (pictured), will surge by 197.7% in 2011 and by 57.4% in 2012, according to market researcher iSuppli.
It points to the tablet market being dominated by Apple's iPad and by the ARM based A4 processor which drives it and says that Intel needs to enter this market or face being left on the sidelines.
Although Intel has a processor targeted at this market in development – the Oak Trail device announced earlier this year – it will not be available until early in 2011. Oak Trail, an SoC solution designed exclusively for tablets – is believed to consume up to 50% less power than previous Intel processors while supporting full HD video and three operating systems: Android, Windows 7 and MeeGo.
Matt Wilkins, principal analyst for compute platforms at iSuppli, said:
"Intel is smart. The company knows perfectly well that the media tablet market is being defined right now. And if it doesn't become a player immediately, its prospects of getting into the market in the future will only grow dimmer."
