Research firm In-Stat says the iPad promises significant opportunities for the semiconductor market. The company said the device will energize the emerging tablet PC segment, creating a potential semiconductor opportunity of over $4.1 billion in 2014.

“Tablets have quickly become a high priority for competitors across the value chain, including mobile operators,” says Jim McGregor, In-Stat analyst, in a press release. “Even more important is that the opportunity in tablets is complementary to other mobile devices, particularly smartphones and netbooks.”

The firm projects a potential unit total available market for tablets to reach 50 million in 2014. Based on device bill of material (BoM) estimates, initial pricing of mainstream tablets should be in the $400-$500 range.

Tablets shared the spotlight with eReaders as prominent device segments at this year’s Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. Hewlett Packard, Dell, ICD and Lenovo have all unveiled tablets recently, with a Microsoft offering rumored to be on the horizon.

Apple and ICD are the only two tablet makers that have indicated carrier strategies and only Apple offers an entire solution that includes content and applications.