Here come the statistics! Specifically, the second-quarter statistics for tablet shipments and market shares courtesy of market research firm IHS iSuppli.
It should come as little surprise that Apple continues to dominate the charts for market share.
However, the company's also managed to hit its largest worldwide market share since the first quarter of 2011 – a noteworthy accomplishment, given the increased pressure the Apple faces from competitors like Amazon, Barnes & Noble and, most recently, Google.
But here's the silver lining (for Google, at least): IHS iSuppli's figures don't include the Google's recently released Nexus 7 tablet.
Could this be the last time Apple sees such prominence on the charts, or will the rumored release of the iPad Mini only cement Apple's place at the top of the tablet market?
By the numbers
According to IHS iSuppli's, Apple's shipment of approximately 17 million tablets in the second quarter of 2012 gave the company a market share of 69.6 percent – just a hair off of the company's 70.0 percent market share in the first quarter of 2011.
Additionally, Apple's market share rose 11.5 percent from its first-quarter (2012) statistics, when the company shipped approximately 11.8 million tablets for a 58.1 percent market share.
"Apple is making all the right moves to rebuild its dominant position in the tablet space," said Rhoda Alexander, director of tablet and monitor research at IHS iSuppli, in a statement.
"The company is pushing visual performance boundaries with the new iPad, while providing value customers with a lower-priced alternative, the iPad 2. With the expected entrance of the 7-inch version of the iPad in September, Apple is sending a clear message that it plans to dominate this market over the long term."
Apple surpassed 85 million total iPads sold in July of this year, just a bit over two years since the launch of the first iPad tablet.
Charting the competition
As for the other tablet contenders, Samsung took second place on IHS iSuppli's stats sheet with approximately 2.25 million tablets shipped in the second quarter of 2012 – giving the company a market share of 9.2 percent.
Amazon's market share dropped 13.3 percent between the first and second quarters of 2012, down from 1.19 million tablets shipped to 1.03 million.
Via IHS iSuppli, paidContent
