APAC to lead tablet revenues by 2014

The Asia-Pacific region will dominate global tablet revenues by 2014, predicted an analyst firm, which called the growth of the device category "unprecedented".

In a Wednesday forecast report on the worldwide tablet industry, Yankee Group noted that global tablet revenues are expected to increase from US$16 billion in 2010 to US$46 billion in 2014. Yankee Group analyst Dmitriy Molchanov described the growth of tablets as "unprecedented", adding that tablet sales are rising faster than that of HDTVs, handheld gaming consoles or MP3 players.

The Asia-Pacific region, particularly China, will account for 58 percent of the global market revenues three years from now, said the firm. According to the report, the region's rise will overshadow current market leader, North America, which will see its share drop from 37 percent in 2010 to 17 percent by 2014.

The same report noted that in the United States, tablet sales will reach 30 million units by 2015 compared to last year's 8 million units, representing a compound annual growth rate of 31 percent during the five-year period.

The average selling price of tablets in the United States, added Yankee Group, will also halve to US$237 by 2015 due to reference models, open source operating systems and economies of scale in touch-screen manufacturing.

In a previous report, analyst firm ABI Research noted that white box tablets--devices whose brands have yet to become as famous the Apple iPad or the Samsung Galaxy Tab--is thriving in Asia. The company also singled out China as one of the market leaders in this low-cost tablet segment.