What Does This Mean To Apple Inc. (AAPL)?

The fact that Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) is performing well in the tablet and smartphone markets is no surprise. The Cupertino based company relies heavily on its iPad and iPhone, and have had great success in the past with more of the same coming in the future.

With all this in mind, people often times forget how skilled Apple is at paying attention to the market which includes what consumers are looking for.

A recent study by Strategy Analytics touches on something that Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) needs to keep an eye on in the months and years to come: 4G LTE and Shared Data Plans to Fuel 8x Growth in Mobile Broadband Tablet Subscriptions

Despite the fact that many users rely on WiFi, “mobile broadband subscriptions on connected tablets will expand rapidly in the next five years.”

For Apple, as well as its many competitors in the tablet market, this is big news. Of course, Cupertino already offers a tablet that is capable of handling this but the trend may shift more towards mobile broadband subscriptions on connected tablets and less on WiFi reliance.

Here is an excerpt from the study:

“The Strategy Analytics Wireless Operator Strategies (WOS) service report, “Tablets at Mobile Operators: Forecasts of Tablet Subscriptions, Data Traffic, Service Revenue 2010-2017,” projects that in 2017 global mobile tablet subscriptions will contribute nearly US$20 billion to operator service revenues and generate almost 3 and a half million Terabytes of mobile data traffic. With the new iPad setting the technology benchmark, 4G LTE quickly becomes the access technology of choice and will account for more than 80 percent of all mobile broadband tablet subscriptions by the end of 2017.”

Do you notice anything interesting about that part of the report? It touches on the fact that the Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) iPad has set the bar for technology. This shows that Apple is in good position right now to take advantage of the shift. It also shows that the competition is going to be chasing after Cupertino.

Phil Kendall, Director, Wireless Operator Strategies, touched on where this growth will show the most:

“US, China, Japan and UK will be leading markets for tablet subscriptions, but we also anticipate strong growth in emerging markets of Brazil and India where video content and network upgrades will drive demand for wide-area connectivity on tablets.”

Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) appears to be in good position to take advantage of this shift.