IDC Foresees 'iPad' in 2010, Calls the Prediction a ‘No-Brainer’

Research firm IDC not only sees the number of iPhone applications triple by the end of 2010, but also that the company headquartered in Cupertino, California will be introducing its “iPad” during the course of next year.

According to a CNN Money report publishing the relevant bullet points from IDC’s list of predictions for 2010, developer momentum, as well as application momentum will continue to shift dramatically to mobile devices. IDC predicts that, with an annual growth rate of 900%, the App Store will hit the 300,000 landmark by the end of next year. Here’s its argument:

“At least as important as the number of mobile devices are the frenzied developer energy and application volume building around mobile platforms — most obviously, but by no means exclusively, around the iPhone. There are now over 100,000 iPhone apps listed on Apple's iTunes store, up from 10,000 a year ago — that's an annual growth rate of 900%. As a point of comparison, there are on the order of 10,000 Windows PC applications listed on Microsoft's Windows 7 compatibility Web site. We predict at least 300,000 iPhone applications by the end of 2010, many of the new apps coming from well-known Global 2000 business and consumer brands — and attracting more consumers and businesspeople to these platforms as their most commonly and heavily used clients.”

As for Apple’s much-hyped tablet device, “The ‘iPad’ will finally arrive,” IDC believes. Frank Gens, IDC chief analyst, has also produced a video where he bluntly states that the research firm is betting on Apple to introduce such a device next year, among other predictions. Here’s its reasoning as far as Apple’s tablet is concerned, on a more detailed level:

“Last year, we predicted that we would not see the then-rumored Apple tablet in 2009. This year, however, we predict that Apple will finally introduce this new device family, which is more of an oversized (8in., 10in.) iPod touch than a downsized Mac — and if you look at the developer energy around the iPhone/touch platform, this should be no surprise at all. This prediction is a no-brainer: there's enormous appeal in sizing up the iPhone/touch for a variety of applications and activities that people already use those devices for but would jump at the chance to have a larger screen — watching videos/movies, reading books/magazines/newspapers (it would take a big bite from the Kindle), surfing the Web, videophone, and online gaming. Look for Apple's ‘iPad’ by year-end 2010. Oh, and don't be surprised to see Microsoft also announce its own device in this space. … One big question for 2010 is which way Apple will go with 3G connectivity for the iPad — private labeling a wireless carrier's network as ‘AppleNet’ or simply merchandising carriers' wireless subscriptions through the iTunes store.”