GLW projection for tablet sales.
Gorilla Glass President Predicts 800 Percent Tablet Growth by 2014
By David Murphy
* February 5, 2011 07.02pm EST
pcmag.com
Just how big is the tablet market going to grow over the next few years? That's easy. Just ask the glass makers. Specifically, ask the president of Corning Glass Technologies Group. You might not recognize that name offhand, but the product this company manufacturers, Gorilla Glass, is the transparent panel that protects devices like Dell's Streak tablet, the Samsung Galaxy S, the iPhone 4, and a host more.
According to James Clappin, president of Corning Glass, demand for the company's Gorilla Glass has been off the charts since its launch in 2008. But just how well does that translate into actionable predictions for the future?
"Corning Gorilla Glass is the cover glass of choice for manufacturers of high-end mobile phones," Clappin said in a statement. "We expect the number of these devices using cover glass to quadruple over the next four years, presenting us with a significant opportunity for growth."
But Clappin isn't just making forecasts about phones. He also has a prediction for the tablet market, based on how he's estimating the demand of Gorilla Glass from associated manufacturers—and it's a big jump. He anticipates tablet sales will surge from 20 million units sold in 2010 to 180 million by 2014, an 800 percent increase between the two time periods.
If that sounds like a lot, it is. Other analysts, like the Yankee Group, are calling for a lower multiplier in terms of overall revenue growth. To them, the global tablet market is expected to jump from 16 billion in total global revenue for 2010 to 46 billion for 2014—a bit shy of an 800 percent increase, to put it mildly. As far as physical sales go, Yankee Group estimates that tablet sales will merely triple between 2010 and 2015.
Even though they might not agree on the final numbers, Clappin and Dmitriy Molchanov, a Yankee Group analyst, see a bright future for tablets—for consumers, manufacturers, and glass makers alike.
"The growth in this market is unprecedented," said Molchanov. "The tablet sales curve is rising faster than that of HDTVs, handheld gaming consoles or even MP3 players."
But a widening market for tablets also translates to more opportunities for the glass that protects them. Japan's Asahi Glass, makers of a paneling called "Dragontail," believes that it will be able to capture 30 percent of the market by 2012, or global sales of around $360 million. Corning Glass Technologies Group, in contrast, is expected to hit $1 billion in Gorilla Glass sales in 2011. |
