NEW YORK (Kyodo) -- Apple Inc. may sell as many as 28 million units of its popular iPad multimedia tablet computer worldwide in 2011, according to a forecast by an analyst with Swiss banking giant UBS AG.
Apple sold 3.27 million units of the iPad globally during the April-June quarter after launching it in early April in the United States. The device was also released in Japan and other countries in May.
In a note to investors, UBS Investment Research analyst Maynard Um said his forecast -- that the device can sell at twice the pace of the boom following its launch -- could still be "conservative."
As major manufacturers gear up to launch rival devices, Um said the surge of tablet computers -- a cross between a personal computer and a smartphone -- could adversely affect the PC industry.
Um also sees steady sales of iPhones and predicted that Apple will continue to see both its profit and revenue increase through the business year ending in September 2012.
