iPad still dominates tablets, but Android grabs market share
Apple's iPad continues to dominate the tablet market, but Google's Android appears to be taking a bite out of Apple's market share.
The iPad lineup made up 55 percent of tablet shipments in the third quarter, according to data released today by ABI Research, a 14 percent decline from the second quarter and its lowest level since the iPad's introduction two years ago.
The benefactors of that lost market share were Samsung, Amazon, and Asus, as Google's mobile operating system now powers more than 44 percent of tablets shipped, ABI Research said, adding that it expects that market share to increase. "As the OS of choice for the majority of device OEMs [original equipment manufacturers], we expect the Android ecosystem to continue growing in numbers -- new manufacturers, better device choices for reaching more markets, and more developers finding value from apps and content," ABI Research's Jeff Orr said in a statement.