ABI estimates that between 102 and 110 million tablets will be shipped in 2012 and the market is just heating up. Google recently introduced the Nexus 7 tablet, while Microsoft’s Surface and other Windows RT tablets should show up soon.
However, Apple is still the daddy in the tablet market. iPad shipments accounted for 69 percent of devices covered by ABI’s survey and Apple managed to ship 17 million tablets in Q2 alone. Apple is also planning to introduce a smaller and more affordable iPad next month.
Interestingly, ABI found that most tablets are Wi-Fi devices. Consumers apparently don’t want the hassle of setting up 3G/4G on their devices, or they just don’t want to pay a premium for connectivity on the road.