Market research firm IDC released its predictions for 2010 including one that involves the most talked about unreleased product of 2009, the Apple tablet. Calling it the “iPad tablet computer,” IDC says that it expects more than 1 billion mobile devices will be accessing the Internet by the end of 2010, boosted by the arrival of the device. Of course, smartphones will have a larger role to play in the amount of mobile people accessing the mobile Internet, including Apple’s iPhone.

IDC also expects the growth in mobile devices to lead to dramatic increase in the number of applications for the devices. In particular, the company expects the number of apps for Apple’s devices to triple to 300,000 by the end of 2010.

Apple’s apps will not be the only beneficiary — IDC expects Android apps to grow by a factor of five or more.