Analyst predicts that iPad sales might tally in at the 50 million mark in 2012

As we’ve seen time after time, Apple’s iPad has seen its share of success in the form of selling millions of units since its inception – and it’s something we can expect with the next version of the iPad as well. Even before getting a glimpse of what to expect with its successor, there are already numbers floating around that hint to the possibilities of its success.

According to Sterne Agee analyst Shaw Wu, we can expect to see Apple selling nearly 48 million iPads this year alone, which is deemed by him as being a conservative estimate at this point. In a note to investors on Wednesday morning, Wu said, “We believe this significant refresh will likely help drive higher iPad sales and help further differentiate from arguably the only real competitor in the market, Amazon’s Kindle Fire, and not to mention the myriad of Android offerings out there.”

When you think about the conservative estimate, it goes to show the kind of excitement that’s normally associated with any of Apple’s product launches. Unlike the iPhone, we can say with a good amount of certainty that the iPad has a firm grasp on the market – and more importantly, it sets the tone for everything else out there.

Until recently, the iPad barely had a distinguishable competitor, but it’ll be intriguing to see how Apple will fend off the competition over the course of the year. But hey, with close to 50 million iPads expected to sell this year, it is still an admirable feat in anyone’s book.

via BGR