Android tablets now account for 30% of the market?

If you were to tell us that Android tablets would eventually become the dominant choice for consumers one day, we wouldn't be surprised in the least bit. That said, it would be easier to believe if there were a better selection of decent Android tablets available to go against themarket leading iPad 2. Well, apparently quality doesn't mean all that much because according to the latest report from Strategy Analytics show Google's OS now taking up 30% of the market's tablet sales.

Not long ago, the Apple iPad had the market all to itself and stood alone with 93% of the market as Android tablets struggled to get a foot in the door with less than 3%. Fast forward to today and Android's strength in numbers is beginning to repeat its success the same way it took over the smartphone world. The OS still has a long way to go to genuinely compete with the likes of the iPad but the number of sales aspect is beginning to wane. Or so it seems.

Comparing the likes of the iPad 2 and Android tablets is simply unfair. There have only been two different iPad models, both as high-end as possible when released and the majority of Android tablets are stuck in 2009. With the exception of the Galaxy Tab 10.1, Android tablets are nowhere near the beauty of the iPad 2. Given that you can grab an Android tablet for significantly less than the cheapest iPad, the number isn't as surprising as it sounds. That said, most of those cheaper Android tablets likely have questionable build quality, a lower version of the OS, and probably a no-name brand.

The one decently built, cheaper, Android Honeycomb tablet that seems to keep flying off shelves is the Asus Transformer. It's definitely a chunkier tablet but those who have grabbed the device seem to be very happy with it. Asus is now shipping over 400,000 Transformer tablets a month, which may just be a spec on Apple's radar, but is nonetheless impressive for a tablet that's only $100 cheaper than the iPad 2.

One also needs to consider that this is just one analytic firm's numbers and said numbers may be dramatically different from another firm's findings. That said, this is really just the beginning of Android tablets taking off, if you believe these numbers or not. With the rumored Nexus tablet that's still in the back of our minds, things could get very interesting in the coming months.

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