More than 11 million media tablets, 43 million netbooks to ship in 2010

New forecasts from ABI Research reveal that 11 million media tablets and 43 million netbooks will ship worldwide in 2010. The sales number for netbooks is lower than anticipated but still shows good growth, said principal analyst Jeff Orr. Although sales of the Apple iPad have been robust, the numbers (about 7.5 million at this point) still are far from matching those of netbooks.

With several manufacturers coming out with new tablets — chief among them Samsung, which is selling its GalaxyTab through carriers this year — competition will help to bring prices down and help drive adoption, making tablets truly mass market devices. The GalaxyTab will be available through all four U.S. carriers and, in the UK, through Vodafone.