NEW YORK (AP) — A research group is forecasting that sales of smaller tablets will double this year with the expected announcement of a mini iPad on Tuesday.
IHS iSuppli expects about 34 million smaller tablets will be sold worldwide in 2012, up from 17 million last year. IHS defines it as tablets with screens of about 7 inches diagonally. That includes Amazon.com Inc.'s Kindle Fire, Barnes and Noble Inc.'s Nook Tablet and Google Inc.'s Nexus 7.
The research firm says sales should double again next year to 67 million.
As a percentage of all tablets, the smaller ones are expected to account for 28 percent of 2012 sales, compared with 24 percent in 2011.
Apple isn't saying anything about a smaller iPad, but it has an event scheduled in San Jose, Calif., on Tuesday.
