It's An iPad World: Apple Could Sell 28M Tablets In 2011

Apple will sell roughly 28 million iPad tablets in 2011, or so says one Apple-watching analyst.

UBS analyst Maynard Um said interest in the Apple iPad, the Cupertino, Calif. computer colossus' touch-screen tablet, won't cease and Apple could sell an astounding number of iPads in 2011. That big-time sales boost would further erode the already struggling PC industry, as mobility takes further hold and tablets tighten their grip on users. And the iPad's sweeping success will only further fuel the formation of Apple iPad clones and wannabes.

"It appears that the iPad is adversely impacting the PC industry, specifically notebook PCs, causing a scramble by vendors to launch iPad-like tablets," Um said, according to Mac Observer. "We see a limited threat from competition and raise our calendar 2011 iPad unit forecast to 28 million, which we believe could still be conservative."

Um is quick to add, however, that the iPad won't be hammering the nail in the PC just yet.

"We are not sold that the iPad is purely cannibalizing PC sales, as the functionality of the iPad cannot yet deliver the functionality of notebook PCs. However, consumers who purchase iPads may be more willing to delay purchases and upgrades of existing PCs," Um added, according to Apple Insider.

Apple selling 28 million iPads next year could also be a "conservative" number, Um added, meaning even more could sell.

The massive swell in iPad sales will come less than a year after Apple's first touch-screen tablet hit the market. Apple officially launched the iPad in April. Apple sold 1 million iPads in its first 28 days available and hit the 2 million iPads sold mark in two months. All told, Apple sold 3.27 million iPads in its fiscal third quarter, the company reported.

Along with blockbuster iPad sales, Um also noted that Apple will launch a new CDMA version of the Apple iPhone 4 come January. A CDMA-compatible iPhone could be supported by Verizon's network in the U.S. The launch of a CDMA iPhone 4, Um wrote, could push iPhone 4 sales to about 52 million in 2011.

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