More Americans than ever will buy tablet computers and smartphones this year, driving consumer electronics revenue up 5.6% to a record high of $190bn (£119bn) in 2011, according to a forecast from the US trade group Consumer Electronics Association.

The CEA claims sales in the US of tablet computers such as Apple iPad – of which financial analysts reckon the company sold 8m worldwide in the past three months, and 4.7m in the first three months of the year – and its rivals will reach 26.5m units, resulting in $14bn in revenue. Meanwhile smartphone sales will increase by 45% to $23bn, the study said. Unit sales of e-readers, such as Amazon.com’s Kindle, will double, bringing in $1.8bn.

But the revenue growth – at 5.6% more than twice as fast as US GDP growth, expected to be 2.4% for the year – indicates a slowdown from 2010, when overall growth hit 6%. And the CEA’s forecast for 2012 indicates it only expects 3% growth next year as prices of tablets and smartphones fall and penetration widens.

Read the rest here: US Tablets Smartphones Record