December 2011.

JP Morgan forecasts that 99m tablets will be shipped worldwide  next year – a whopping 55% growth from 2011.  Tablets will continue to proliferate and infiltrate the way we use and consume information.  So where are we going to see the biggest impacts and what does that mean for you?  Here we make a few predictions as we tablet publishing becomes mainstream with growth in areas such as corporate publishing, advertising and retail.

1) iPads remain dominant

While Android tablets such as the Kindle Fire will make in-roads at lower price points (with lesser functionality) Apple’s dominance will remain.  We’ll welcome the iPad 3 with higher resolution screens and camera and we may even ask Siri to turn the pages of our apps for us.

2) Ecommerce hits a tablet near you. 

Research shows that people are increasingly open to buying through their apps on their tablets.  Advertorials will become more mainstream.  Tablet usage will remain high in the evenings but expect corporate use to rise. T-Commerce/ Tablet Commerce anyone?

3) Tablet Advertising = Brand Advertising you can track.

Tablet Advertising will catch on as we’re already seeing interactive tablet ads achieving engagement rates of 7-15% ad engagement results.  Advertisers will embrace multiple screen advertising campaigns.  Data and analytics will be the secret source. It’s not just about the number of impressions but making an impression.

Recent research from eMarketer (dec 2011) found that “Adults in the United States now spend more time with mobile than print magazines and newspapers combined.”  One hour and five minutes on mobile versus just 44 minutes for newspapers and magazines — combined!That’s a 10% share of people’s media time for mobile. And yet, mobile gets less than 1% of the advertising dollars.  Read more & watch this space.

4) Customers will be the winner

The argument over who owns tablet publishing (the digital vs graphic design debate) will be won by those who understand UI and put their customers at the heart of the app content and design.  App publishing platforms (like Oomph) that offer easy navigation, rich media and great functionality will allow media agencies and publishers to focus on their customers and embrace this exciting media rather than be limited in what they can create.