PC market forecast signals tablet's mainstream acceptance

Not only are tablet computers disrupting the way consumers and business users interact with technology, they are also causing a shift in the PC vendor market, with new leaders assuming their positions on top while others slip away.

According to research firm Canalys, Apple®, bolstered by the popularity of its iPad®, became the No. 1 PC-maker in 2011, overtaking the position long held by HP. This represents a significant change, not only in terms of industry leaders, but also the tablet's acceptance into the mainstream.

Overall, Canalys estimates that 415 million PCs will ship before 2011 ends, representing a 15 percent year-over-year growth from 2010. Fifty-nine million of these units will be tablets.

The tablet's position in the industry has been a precarious one, as the device has straddled the line between mobile technology and something more closely representing traditional computers. Canalys' prediction suggests that PC vendors are finally ready to consider the tablet a mainstream computing device.

The market may be primed for further disruption in 2012, as research firm Gartner predicts more than 103 million tablets will ship in this time.