Analysts may replace secondary PCs

The success of Apple's iPad as a demonstration that the consumer seeks quick, easy e-mail and Web access via a device that features more portability than a laptop PC while providing instant-on and more usability than a smartphone. Although laptop PCs will lose some ground to tablets, TBR believes the market will support all three device styles for computing and connectivity, including the laptop, slate and smartphone.

"The rise of tablets is a clear signal of consumers' desire for different forms of information consumption. Tablet devices, such as the iPad, will shake up the personal computing ecosystem and the PC market. Tablets will displace sales of consumers' secondary laptop PCs, while their primary PC will continue to maintain its role for tasks such as document creation, storing files, and editing photographs. The majority of consumers will still own a PC two or three years down the road, but they will increasingly leverage other devices for computing and web access needs," said Ezra Gottheil, a senior analyst at TBR.