iPad still rules the roost

eWeek.

The Apple iPad has plenty of company in the tablet marketplace these days, but during the third quarter of 2010, the tablet that reinvigorated the form factor held 93% of the worldwide market share, according to ABI Research.

The firm said in a new report that during the quarter, tablets, as it earlier suggested, proved to be a “promising new talent”, with shipments reaching 4.5 million units.

Mobile Burn quotes Jeff Orr, senior practice director at ABI Research, saying: "Over time, Apple's first-to-market iPad advantage will inevitably erode to some extent."

Orr also noted the changing tablet landscape, with HP's new WebOS-powered touch-pad tablet. Similarly, Motorola's Xoom makes its debut on Verizon Wireless this week, and it's the first US tablet to run Google's Android 3.0 Honeycomb operating system, which was designed specifically for tablet use.

However, Silicon.com notes the research by ABI reported slow sales for netbooks, which the report's authors attributed to the relative scarcity of new products.

Silicon.com also recently reported that tablet sales were having a negative effect on the sale of PCs, with analyst firm Gartner reporting a 'weak' fourth quarter for PC growth in 2010.