The NPD Group announced it reckons U.S. tablet sales (excluding iPad) rose to more than 1.2 million units from January through October 2011, representing $415 million in retail revenue.

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Unedited press release follows:

U.S. Tablet Sales (excluding Apple) Exceed 1.2 Million Units in First 10 Months of 2011

Total Tablet and Accessory Sales Near $700 million

PORT WASHINGTON, NEW YORK, NOVEMBER 22, 2011 – U.S. tablet sales, excluding iPad sales, soared to more than 1.2 million units sold from January through October and brought in $415 million in revenue at retail, according to leading market research company The NPD Group’s monthly Connected Handhelds Report. Total tablet industry sales, for both hardware and accessories, brought in nearly $700 million.

Tablet hardware sales accelerated throughout the year with each quarter performing better than the prior quarter.  Third quarter sales were two times that of second quarter sales and second quarter sales were three times better than first quarter.

“If you look at the tablet market without Apple there are a number of high-profile brands vying for that number two spot,” said Stephen Baker, vice president of industry analysis at NPD. “According to NPD’s Consumer Tracking Service, 76 percent of consumers who purchased a non-Apple tablet didn’t even consider the iPad, an indication that a large group of consumers are looking for alternatives, and an opportunity for the rest of the market to grow their business.”

PC manufacturers are dominant in the tablet space, as four of the top five tablet brands already have a strong U.S. consumer PC presence. Only two of the top five brands play in the smartphone market.

“The market is filled with long-time PC and phone brands as well as low-cost entrants,” stated Baker.  “With a limited amount of shelf space and challenges in overcoming the iPads first mover strength, not all brands will be successful.”

Top 5 U.S. Tablet Brands (excluding Apple)
Retail Sales Jan-Oct 2011

Source: The NPD Group/Connected Handhelds Report

It’s not just the PC and smartphone manufacturers that stand to gain from the growing tablet market, accessory manufacturers do as well.  One third of total tablet market revenue through the third quarter was from accessories and two-thirds of that was sales of cases and screen protectors.

“Consumers are investing in expensive portable devices that they want to protect so it’s not surprising that cases and screen protectors are driving in a significant amount of revenue,” said Baker.  “This is a great opportunity for the accessory manufacturers already in the market to ramp up products and designs and an opportunity for newcomers to get into a fast-growing segment.”

About The NPD Group, Inc.
The NPD Group is the leading provider of reliable and comprehensive consumer and retail information for a wide range of industries. Today, more than 1,800 manufacturers, retailers, and service companies rely on NPD to help them drive critical business decisions at the global, national, and local market levels. NPD helps our clients to identify new business opportunities and guide product development, marketing, sales, merchandising, and other functions. Information is available for the following industry sectors: automotive, beauty, entertainment, fashion, food, home and office, sports, technology, toys, video games, and wireless. For more information, contact us, visit http://www.npd.com/, or follow us Twitter at https://twitter.com/npdgroup.