Parks Associates' report Media Tablets: Analysis and Forecasts shows the products at greatest risk of losing sales are other mobile Internet devices, including netbooks, notebooks, and e-readers. Tablets will also have significant impact on content publishing, including newspapers.

“One year after the launch of the Apple iPad, tablet adoption reached 13% of U.S. broadband households, slightly below current netbook and e-reader adoption rates,” said Jennifer Kent, a Parks Associates’ mobile research analyst. “Mass adoption of tablets depends on consumers’ ability to differentiate them from similar CE, and devices that overlap with the tablet will struggle to remain relevant.”

The new report shows 26% of households planning to purchase a tablet in the first half of 2011 had originally planned to buy a laptop. Parks Associates estimates 16.8 million tablets were sold worldwide in 2010, with sales booming alongside subscriber growth in 3G and 4G networks. “Digital publishers must take advantage of the tablet’s unique features and provide the user with an experience that goes beyond a digital copy of printed material,” said Harry Wang, Director, Mobile Research, Parks Associates.

Tablets will be a main topic of discussion at Parks Associates' CONNECTIONS™: The Digital Living Conference and Showcase in Santa Clara, June 28-30. Keynotes from Starz, Motorola, Verizon, and AT&T will discuss new technologies for the connected consumer, and panelists in the session “New Roles of Mobile Devices and Services for Connected Consumers” will focus on new-generation mobile platforms and devices.