While Apple continues to lead the booming tablet market, Android and Microsoft are trying to keep up.
Tablet shipments, led by Apple's iPad, Google's Android, and Microsoft's Windows 8 operating systems, could top 125 million units in 2012, said Jeffries & Co.'s Peter Misek, as reported by eWeek.
As Research In motion, HP, and other Android OEMs, failed to compete with Apple, the market consolidated much more quickly than expected, leading Misek to cut back his original projection that the tablet market would exceed 150 millions units by 25 million.
Apple was the clear winner in tablet sales in 2011. Of the 70 million tablets shipped in 2011, 40.5 million were iPads, 10 million were Galaxy Tabs, and 4 million were Kindle Fire Android tablets sold by Amazon, the report said.
There may be a few reasons the Android tablet market didn't match up with Apple's: High prices, bugs in Honeycomb, and a weak application environment hurt Android sales by Motorola, who only sold 1 million tablets in 2011, Misek noted.
The iPad 3 is expected in the first quarter of 2012, which means that, if Apple follows its current pattern, iPad and iPad2 prices will be discounted. As prices because to fall, Misek expects tablets to go for an average of $350, according to the report.
While Android is trying to keep up with Apple, Microsoft has a shot at increased market share in the near future. Misek expects soon-to-come Windows 8-based tablets to give Microsoft a push in the tablet market.
