IDC says Apple’s Ipad to regain market share from Android in 2012

RESEARCH OUTFIT IDC is predicting that the Apple Ipad will continue to dominate the tablet market throughout 2012, snatching back market share from its Android powered rivals.

In its latest report IDC has updated its forecast to shift a larger percentage of future tablet sales toward IOS and away from Google's Android operating system. The firm now expects the Ipad to grab 62.5 per cent of the market in 2012, up from 58.2 per cent in 2011, while Android's hold will slip from 38.7 per cent to 36.5 per cent.

Things are much worse for Blackberry than for Google, however, as IDC expects the Blackberry Playbook's share to slump to just one per cent.

"After a very strong launch of new products in March, Apple's iPad shows few signs of slowing down," said Tom Mainelli, research director for Mobile Connected Devices at IDC.

"The addition of the Retina Display and 4G capabilities to the third-generation products clearly enticed many current owners to upgrade. And Apple's decision to keep two iPad 2s in the market at lower prices-moving the entry-level price down to $399-seems to be paying off as well.

"If Apple launches a sub-$300, 7-inch product into the market later this year as rumored, we expect the company's grip on this market to become even stronger."

Overall, IDC expects the entire tablet market to surpass its original expectations. Worldwide sales are now expected to hit 107.4 million units, up from the company's previous prediction of 106.1 million. 2013 sales are expected to hit 142.8 million too, whereas tablet sales in 2016 are likely to surpass 222 million.

"Demand for media tablets remains robust, and we see an increasing interest in the category from the commercial side," said Mainelli.

"We expect pending new products from major players, increasingly affordable mainstream devices, and a huge marketing blitz from Microsoft around Windows 8 to drive increased consumer interest in the category through the end of the year." µ