Tablet Wars: Apple’s iPad Set to Stay Steady with 50% Market Control Through 20162 min read

According to IDC (International Data Corporation), the iPad by Apple will continue its run of market dominance through the year 2016. While its overall numbers will shrink in lieu of rising competition from Android and Windows powered tablets, it still won’t affect the tablet maker all that much. In fact, IDC is predicting that Apple’s iPad will still account for 50 percent or more of all tablets sold or shipped through the year 2016, giving the computer conglomerate a firm grip of the marketplace for quite some time to come.

IDC has forecasted that more than 122-million tablets will ship this year. Of that number they say that about 53.8 percent will be Apple iPad tablets. This number represents a shrinking trend from last year, when the iPad accounted for 56.3 percent of all shipments. Android will be the biggest winner this year as far as growth is concerned, according to IDC. The Google-powered tablets will experience strong market growth, rising from 39.8 percent to 42.7 percent for the year 2012.

Microsoft will have plenty of catching up to do, however. The launch of Windows 8 (which sold 40-million copies during its first few weeks) and the simultaneous launch of the Window’s Surface tablet are notable. However, the Surface tablet will only account for a meager 2.9 percent of all tablets shipped this year. But IDC predicts that by the year 2016, the Surface tablet will command about 10.6 percent of the marketplace.

With Microsoft in the picture as a third player, the game changes. By 2016, both Apple and Google will have to make way for Microsoft. IDC predicts that iPad will garner about 49.7 percent of all tablet sales for 2016, with Android tallying up 39.7 percent and Surface tablet and others accounting for the remainder.

The anticipated growth of tablets is notable, too. This year the IDC says about 122-million tablets will be sold. Next year that number exponentially is set to increase to an estimated 172-million. By the year 2016, it’s a predicted that the number will exceed 282-million, more than double the predicted sales for 2012.

“Tablets continue to captivate consumers, and as the market shifts toward smaller, more mobile screen sizes and lower prices points, we expect demand to accelerate in the fourth quarter and beyond,” explained Tom Mainelli, a research director at IDC. “Android tablets are gaining traction in the market thanks to solid products from Google, Amazon, Samsung, and others. And Apple’s November iPad mini launch, along with its surprise refresh of the full-sized iPad, positions the company well for a strong holiday season.”