Canalys predicts jump in enterprise tablet sales

Tablet computer sales to the enterprise were expected to rise 5,397 percent in 2011, with US analyst firm Canalys predicting 1.1 million units to end up in business users' hands by year’s end. 

By contrast, 20,410 iPads were sold to businesses last year, it reported.

The analyst firm did not predict which "pad" would dominate enterprises; however until others hit the market there was little choice but the iPad.

Apple’s iPad 2 was expected to make up 75 percent of the 52 million "pad" devices sold in 2011, according to Canalys, leaving Apple on track to reach around 40 million units previously forecasted.

Over the weekend Apple had a strong start, selling around 1 million units of the iPad 2 at its US launch, according to analysts.   

HP’s TouchPad, which should be available in June, along with Research in Motion’s PlayBook, Motorola’s Honeycomb Xoom and others will battle for the remaining 12 million units forecasted to be sold this year.

Australia, North America, Japan and northern Europe, were leading the trend to replace netbooks and notebooks with "pads". For every 10 "pads" sold, five netbook or notebook sales will be lost, Canalys said.

While notebooks sales should rise 5 per cent in 2011 to 113 million units, netbook sales were expected to fall 14 per cent this year.