The market for tablets is only getting stronger, but that doesn’t mean good things for most tablet makers. The iPad will likely continue to dominate the market, and Android will struggle to keep up, while all other tablets will be pushed to the back burners – if they continue to exist at all.
Forecasts indicate that the number of tablets will nearly triple in the next few years, but that the market will be dominated by iPads. The BlackBerry tablets seem to be simply fading out of existence. The IDC expects the Apple tablet to comprise 62.5% of the tablet market just this year, and will only continue to grow in the next few years.
The IDC market researchers have not yet taken Windows 8 based tablets into consideration, but they will as soon as they hit the market next quarter.
"Our current thinking, based upon early pricing expectations for these products, is that Windows-based tablets will be largely additive [sic] to our existing media tablet market forecast. We don't expect Windows-based tablets to necessarily take share from Apple and Android, but will grow the overall tablet market," states Tom Mainelli, an IDC analyst.
Mainelli also believes the iPad will continue to dominate the market because of its constant and consistent upgrades. The new Retina Display and 4G capabilities will only further urge people to upgrade to the new devices. The choice to keep the iPad 2 at under $400 is also bringing more people to Apple’s devices. Their hold on the market will only become stronger once the new 7-inch tablet is released, as the price is listed is planned to start at under $300.
