Tablet PCs will overtake PC notebook computers by 2016, U.S. market research firm NPD DisplaySearch predicted Tuesday.

Shipment of tablets, such as Apple's iPad, are expected to reach 416 million in 2017, up from 121 million units this year. Notebook shipments are projected to grow to 393 million in 2017, up from 208 million this year.

More than half of all tablets shipped this year will go to North America, Japan and Western Europe.

"Consumer preference for mobile computing devices is shifting from notebook to tablet PCs, particularly in mature markets," Richard Shim, senior analyst at NPD DisplaySearch, said in a release.

"While the lines between tablet and notebook PCs are blurring, we expect mature markets to be the primary regions for tablet PC adoption.

The DisplaySearch quarterly shipment and forecast report said tablet PCs are expected to evolve in form and performance, making them a compelling alternative to notebook PCs.

The tablets are expected to incorporate multi-core processors, increasingly stable operating systems, growing app libraries and higher resolution displays, DisplaySearch said.

Toshiba fined in US antitrust case
San Francisco (AFP) July 3, 2012 - Japanese electronics giant Toshiba said Tuesday a jury has ordered it to pay $87 million in a price-fixing case on LCD displays, but that it ultimately may not end up paying damages.

A company statement said the US District Court jury in San Francisco ordered the fine "due to alleged antitrust practices in the LCD business."

But it added that "given credits for settlements by other defendants, Toshiba expects that it will not have to pay any damages as a result of this verdict, even after trebling under US antitrust laws."

The case stems from a class action suit filed in 2007 by purchasers of LCD panels and related products in the United States.

"Toshiba has consistently maintained that there was no illegal activity on its part in the LCD business in the United States, and Toshiba continues to hold that view," the statement said.

Toshiba added that it "believes that the jury's verdict is in error as to the finding of wrongdoing on Toshiba's part. Toshiba plans to pursue all available legal avenues to correct that finding."

Several other companies have been charged in the case, and Taiwan's AU Optronics was among those found guilty.

LCD screens are used in computers, laptops, televisions, smartphones and other gadgets.

Rival LCD makers met in secret in karaoke bars, tea rooms, and hotel conference rooms in Taiwan to set prices rather than letting market forces prevail, according to US officials.