According to Gartner‘s forecasts, the total tablet and smartphone market will be 44% larger than the personal computer market in 2011. And by the end of 2014, the estimated base of mobile devices will exceed the total number of personal computers. At the recent ITxpo 2011 conference, Gartner Vice President David Willis spoke about the future of the enterprise tablet application market.
He noted that business applications in commercial online stores were initially focused on inexpensive tools to improve productivity. “Now the main application developers have begun to take the tablet market seriously and have begun to actively enter this market, following where users have turned their eyes.”
David Willis also said that the success of the application depends on how the vendor adapts applications for the new platform, and not just duplicates applications for a traditional computer.
The vice president of Gartner also noted that more than 900 million tablets will be used by 2016 and users will actively integrate their mobile devices with work tasks. He explained: “Leaders are trying to find legitimate and effective use of new devices where other types of computers are less adapted. Directors often prefer to use tablets to demonstrate materials on boards of directors. Sales managers prefer them to present materials to customers… Doctors and nurses also use them… In any place where people use printed materials for demonstration, you can find the appropriate tablet application.”
Willis also named the top 10 categories of commercial applications for tablets from Gartner. Among other things, it includes: applications for business networking, systems for separating personal and corporate email, applications for sales automation, support systems for doctors, enterprise management systems, organization and conduct of business meetings.