Tablet shipments up 54 percent in 2012, report says

The number of tablet computers shipped around the world is estimated to have increased 54 percent year over year between the first quarters of 2011 and 2012, reaching 106 million units, according to figures from Millennial Media's Mobile Mix report.

Citing an earlier study by IDC, Millennial Media notes that tablet growth is expected to continue for the foreseeable future, hitting 198 million shipments by the end of 2016.

Overall, non-phone mobile devices, including tablets, e-readers and MP3 players, accounted for 20 percent of the handheld device market during the first quarter of 2012. This represents a 33 percent increase from the fourth quarter of 2011.

Apple's iPad® continues to lead in the tablet space, followed by devices from Samsung and Amazon for the No. 2 and 3 spots, respectively.

"Tablets and other non-phone connected devices have established a clear role in the growing mobile ecosystem," says Jamie Fellows, product senior vice president at Millennial Media. "The substantial quarterly growth of impressions in this category is tied to both increased usage and adoption and we expect this trend to continue in the foreseeable future."

Millennial Media's projections are more modest than those cited in an earlier study by NPD DisplaySearch. According to that report, tablet shipments grew 124 percent during the first quarter of 2012.