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Top 3 World Regions to Drive Media Tablet Growth

The popularity and anticipated growth in the media tablet sector has upset the portable consumer device world marketplace. That said, the latest market study by In-Stat indicates that tablet demand isn't quite as global as you might think.

The top three world regions -- North America, Asia-Pacific, and Western Europe -- will be responsible for 91 percent of all media tablet unit shipments in 2015.

"There is obviously strong potential for tablets, as there has been with other mobile electronic devices. One key difference, however, is that the commercial market also represents a potential revenue opportunity for tablet OEMs," says Stephanie Ethier, Senior Analyst at In-Stat.

Usage models and user requirements will differ in the commercial market, but as the overall tablet market becomes more defined, the opportunities for tablets within business markets will become more apparent.

In-Stat's latest market research findings include:

- At over 129 billion units, portable media players (PMPs) represented the largest number of portable device units shipped in 2010.

- The e-reader market will remain primarily a North American market, with 58 percent of e-reader units shipped into North America in 2015.

- Personal navigation device (PND) shipments will peak in 2012 and then decline steadily over the remaining forecast period.

- Handheld game console shipments will grow approximately 20 percent over the next year as a result of the Nintendo 3DS launch.

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