Tablets to outsell laptops, desktops, Apple CEO says

Given the success that Apple® has had in the tablet computer market to date, it is understandable that the company has high expectations for the technology. However, Tim Cook, the company's CEO, is apparently aiming for the moon, predicting that one day tablets could outsell traditional computers.

"I truly believe, and many others in the company believe, that there will come a day that the tablet market and units is larger than the PC market," Cook told financial analysts in a conference call, according to technology news provider Xbit Labs.

The tablet's unprecedented growth has turned heads, and the two markets do seem to be moving in opposite directions. According to research firm Gartner, tablet sales climbed from 17.6 million units in 2010 to 63.7 million units in 2011. PC sales, meanwhile, grew only 3.8 percent during this time period.

But the tablet market still has a way to go before it overcomes laptop and desktop PCs sales. According to Gartner, traditional PC sales are expected to surpass 400 million units in 2012. In contrast, Gartner predicts tablet sales to reach just over 100 million units