Analyst: 19M Notebooks Lost to Tablet Cannibalization

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cannibal_notebooks

The iPad, and other tablet computers have more than legs, they have teeth. Or, so says a Wall Street analyst with charts showing cannibalization of notebook PCs at a growing rate. With nearly 55 million tablet expected to ship next year, the new platform will consume 35 percent of notebooks — or 19.1 million units — in 2011.

“We suspect December quarter retail data is likely to provide even more interesting tablet cannibalization data points,” writes Goldman Sachs analyst Bill Shope. Here’s a hint what the data might show: more bad news for notebooks.


According to Shope, tablets will increase to more than 79 million units in 2012, gobbling up 26.1 million notebooks that otherwise would have sold. While tablets are most often viewed as consumer-oriented, Shope says the iPad is also getting attention in corporate boardrooms.

A November IT spending survey found 51 percent of those responding expect notebook cannibalization by tablets. This seems to mirror remarks by Apple CEO Steve Jobs during the Cupertino, Calif. company’s recent earning report, where he said 65 percent of Fortune 100 firms have already or are preparing to buy the iPad.

[All Things Digital]

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