JOIN USWhile announcing that tablet PCs like iPads have come out of the transition phase to become potent business devices in the hands of mobile and smart employees of today’s enterprises, analyst firm Gartner has also warned that success for software vendors in this segment “depend on how they re-factor the apps rather than just duplicating the traditional desktop or browser experience.”
“Now, major software vendors are taking the tablet seriously and embracing the market, following where users want to take the platform,” said Gartner vice president and distinguished analyst David Willis, speaking at the firm’s symposium, ITxpo 2011, at the Gold Coast (United States) on Wednesday. “As media tablets become more common in business, ERP, CRM and other business application vendors are looking to sell tablet versions of their software, but they will not all be equally usable or functional.
“Success lies in how the vendor re-factors the apps in a meaningful way, rather than just duplicating the traditional desktop or browser experience. Businesses also need to understand the difference between an enterprise and a consumer application, and have a
decision framework to select them,” he further added.
Gartner’s latest forecasts indicate that worldwide media tablet sales to end users will total 63.6 million units in 2011, a 261.4 percent jump from 2010 sales of 17.6 million units.
Media tablet sales will continue to grow rapidly till 2015 when sales are forecast to reach 326.3 million units.
Willis said more than 900 million tablets will be in the hands of users by 2016.