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Apple and Google Android will grab 75 percent of the tablet market through 2010, as the iPad’s immediate success has proven the consumer market is hungry for tablet computers, according to IMS Research.
IMS projects Apple will capture 51 percent of a tablet market that could be worth $3.6 billion through 2010, which leaves plenty of opportunity for others.
IMS analyst Anna Hunt said she expects Android to follow Apple with 24 percent of the market, with 10 percent going to Windows 7 and the remaining 15 percent going to some proprietary and Linux-based platforms for the home.
HP’s Slate, for example, will run Windows Home 7 Premium Edition. Nokia is reportedly building a Windows 7-based device.
For developers who want more choice and flexibility, Android stands to be the perfect alternative to iPad and Windows 7, with a handful of Android machines coming to the fore, some of which are already out and well known. The Android-based Archos 5 Internet Tablet is a strong seller in Europe.
Dell’s Android 2.0-based Mini 5 tablet is expected in the U.S. this year, while several Android models will feature Nvidia’s delayed Tegra chipset, including the Adam from Notion Ink. ViewSonic offers the VTablet 101.
Currently, iPad is king. The iPad went on sale April 3 and by April 8 Apple CEO Steve Jobs said the company had sold more than 450,000 units.
While Android is expected to only command half the tablet market iPad will in 2010, Android tablet sales will be buoyed by a strong developer ecosystem and competitively priced content and services.
Hunt noted that many of the applications designed for the iPad platform are actually more expensive than apps for Apple’s iPhone OS platform. This presents an opportunity for suppliers that can offer a tablet that is more price competitive for the hardware and the content.