iPad predicted to sell 20 million in 2012

Apple's tablet device projected to dominate market, but iSuppli cautions that lack of Flash support could hamper sales

Apple of my iPad: consumers will warm to the device's touch screen technology, claims iSuppli

Apple is projected to be sell more than 20 million iPads a year by 2012, putting the vendor "at the forefront of the tablet market", analyst iSuppli has claimed.

But the research firm indicated that Apple's decision not to include support for Adobe Flash on the iPad represents a "huge gamble". Despite this, iSuppli predicts that the recently launched tablet PC will enjoy sales of 7.1 million this year.

This is projected to more than double to 14.4 million next year and 20.1 million units are expected to fly off the shelves in 2012. The analyst claims this estimate is "conservative", as the rapid enhancement of features and the addition of Flash support could "boost sales beyond preliminary predictions".

Rhoda Alexander, director of monitor research for iSuppli, claimed the iPad's touchscreen interface would prove popular.

“The tablet form factor is ideally suited to touch," she said. "The iPad represents an intriguing mix of two devices that have struggled to gain traction for years: internet appliances and tablet PCs.

"In a sharp departure from past tablet implementations, it appears that Apple has both minimised and maximised the capabilities of the devices, limiting it as a creation device but compensating for this shortcoming by offering a wealth of easily consumable applications. The device’s initial limitations are likely to be overlooked if Apple provides enough content to keep users engaged within the product limitations.”

According to iSuppli, Apple will soon face heightened competition in the tablet market, with rival manufacturers expected to unleash offerings with " more robust capability". But Alexander predicted the iconic Mac maker would benefit from being first on the scene, so long as it keeps its eye on the ball.

"Key to continuing success will be how quickly Apple responds to issues as they arise and whether the company can align suppliers to meet demand needs," she explained.

The decision to eschew Flash support is a risky one, but, barring "a notable impact on sales", Apple is likely to stick to its guns, said iSuppli. But Francis Sideco, principal analyst for wireless communications at the research firm, claimed the ubiquity of Flash could stymie the vendor's ambitions.

"[The] decision not to support Flash will have a limiting effect on the iPad’s sales potential," he said. "This is because one of the key use cases of the device, as marketed by Apple, relates to web browsing or consumption of online content. Users will not be able to enjoy Flash-driven content, which is used in a considerable amount of websites, as well as web-based games and videos.”