• GigaOm, Monday, November 29, 2010 12:58 PM

From holiday wish lists to mounting sale statistics, the rise of tablet PCs is impossible to ignore. Citing new Gartner findings, GigaOm notes that tablet fever is cutting into PC sales. According to Gartner, worldwide PC shipments are on pace for 352.4 million units this year -- up 14.3% year-over-year, but down from projected growth of 17.9% just two months ago. Meanwhile, Gartner expects worldwide PC shipments in 2011 to hit 409 million -- a 15.9% increase over 2010, but down from an earlier estimate of 18.1% growth.

"The rapid revisions suggest that the PC market, while still growing, is in flux as it deals with the growth in demand for tablets," according to GigaOm. Separately, Citigroup on Monday predicted that 35 million tablets will be sold next year, while while FBR Capital Markets said it expects 70 million tablets to be sold next year -- with 40 million of that figure coming from Apple. While tablets offer fewer returns for PC makers, they represent a potential boon for publishers hoping to charge consumers for newfangled, tablet-ready content.

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