According to a new study from Strategy Analytics, the iPad is still the dominant tablet, but it has lost market share. The company estimates that Apple had a 58 percent share of the tablet market in the fourth quarter of 2011, down from 68 percent of the market in the same period the year before.
Strategy Analytics director Peter King explained: “Global tablet shipments reached an all-time high of 26.8 million units in Q4 2011, surging 150 percent from 10.7 million in Q4 2010. Demand for tablets among consumer, business and education users remains strong … Apple shrugged off the much-hyped threat from entry-level Android models this quarter.”
eBookNewser has more: “The study draws a parallel to this drop and the introduction of the Kindle Fire. However these two devices are in different price brackets and it may be the growth in the tablet market overall that is making Apple less dominant.”