Tablet sales will see a dramatic rise in 2012, says analyst

Newsbrief: With Apple's iPad and various tablet devices gaining traction by the day, technology analyst firm Gartner expects global tablet sales to reach 118.9 million units by the end of 2012, almost double the 60 million tablets sold as of 2011. The firm predicts that total will double again by 2016, with the number of tablets sold reaching 369.3 million. If Gartner's estimates prove accurate, tablet developers would have quite a large consumer base for which to develop games and apps. According to Gartner, Apple's hardware in particular is expected to lead the market for the foreseeable future, as Microsoft and Android tablets have struggled to gain a solid foothold relative to Apple's success. Gartner's full report is available for purchase on the firm's official website.