Apple captured 83 percent of the tablet market in 2010 with the iPad, while consumers snapped up 18 million tablets overall. The Samsung Galaxy Tab managed to chip away at a fraction of the iPad's commanding lead by year's end, but the introduction of the iPad 2 will likely allow Apple to hold on to 70-80 percent of the market in 2011, according to Thursday data from IDC.
Consumers bought 10.1 million tablets worldwide during the fourth quarter, more than double the number purchased the previous quarter. Apple's iPad had 73 percent of the market, down from 93 percent in the third quarter, with the Galaxy Tab capturing 17 percent, and a small number of regional participants also entering the market.
Nonetheless, Apple still has a "strong leadership position" in the tablet market, IDC said. The company is shipping the iPad 2 before some companies have even introduced their first version. As a result, IDC expects Apple to hold on to as much as 80 percent of the tablet market this year.
While Samsung captured 17 percent of the market with the Galaxy Tab, IDC said its "lack of competitive pricing" as well as competition from Apple prevented it from really making waves. Samsung will release a 10.1-inch Galaxy Tab running Android 3.0 Honeycomb later this year, but IDC said the company still might have a "tough time" competing as more and more companies enter the market.
One of those companies is Motorola, which released its Xoom tablet last month. IDC said the Xoom is a "worthy competitor" in the space, though its high price might be a barrier.
A number of other tablets are expected to hit the market this year, including Research in Motion's BlackBerry PlayBook. "We expect only those from large vendors with significant marketing and channel structure in addition to a few technologically and price competitive devices to capture significant share," IDC said.
IDC also examined the e-reader market, which had a successful 2010. Sales last year were up 325 percent, from 3 million e-readers in 2009 to 12.8 million in 2010. In the fourth quarter alone, consumers purchased 6 million e-readers, also more than double the number sold in the third quarter.
The Kindle led the way with 48 percent of the market in the fourth quarter and 2010. Barnes & Noble's Nook edged out the Pandigital e-reader slightly for the year, though Pandigital had the lead for the fourth quarter. China's Hanvon came in fourth. Sony Readers shipments came in around 800,000 for 2010.