The Future of Computing is Tablets and More!

This awesome infographic (below), created by the team at Focus, predicts that Tablets (iPad et al.) will be the future of computing. According to the data, 14% of online shoppers intent to purchase an iPad in the next five months. This equates to 28 Million people planning to buy the iPad in the next 5 months. Even though people don’t often do what they say, if we even consider 10% of buyers following through, that is still a lot of iPads.
Another interesting figure was that from the time the iPad was announced (January 2010) to August 2010, the growth of laptops in the US market fell past zero and into negative growth. That is scary, and more so as I think this infographic undersells the impact of the iPad quite a bit.
Click on the Image for a larger view.

Click on the Image for a larger view.
Apple has designed their products to move beyond the computing market and even traditional consumer electronics. Therefore the comparison of the iPad to traditional notebooks and netbooks pigeon holes the brand and limits interpretation. If we compare the iPad with book sales, drawing equipment, or even game consoles, we could get a much bigger picture.
A good example of how Apple has move beyond traditional computing market would be how their have designed their products to be purchased. I have noticed that buying an iPad (or any Apple product) is almost like buying a can of bake beans or a pack of cigarettes. Maybe even easier! Go to any Apple store or reseller and you can find boxes of their product neatly stacked behind the cashier.
“Oh, I’ll get that iPad 3G + WiFi with my Macbook Battery, thanks.” I heard myself say.
Image from Focus via Fast Company.