IDC: Tablets will sell well, laptops will sell better

Over seven million tablets will be sold in 2010, rising to more than 46 million by 2014, but such sales figures still won't compare to the laptop market.

This is the prediction from analyst firm IDC, which noted that even with an annual growth rate of 57.4 per cent for tablet devices by 2014, the total number sold will still be a very small compared to the 398 million portable PCs it expects to be shipped in the same year.

All is not lost though for the tablet, as it is in its "early days" and is "an altogether new device category," according Susan Kevorkian, program director of the digital marketplace at IDC.

She said the main driver for tablet market growth is down to third party developers making stores overflow with apps for the devices.

"The availability of apps unique to media tablets and that differentiate the experience of using one compared with a PC or smartphone will be crucial for driving consumer demand," said Kevorkian.

"As the category matures and more media tablet-optimised apps become available, IDC expects that media tablets will evolve beyond nice-to-have devices and become necessities for many consumers."

The tablet wars have just begun in 2010 with the launch of the iPad. Now many tech companies from Google through to BT are working on rival devices to break their way into the market.