Apple's (Nasdaq: AAPL) iPad is expected to lose market share as more competitors enter the tablet market. So what impact are recent product introductions -- ranging from new tablets to a tablet-optimized Android operating system -- having on the iPad?
Well, as of May, the iPad still ruled. That's based on statistics released by comScore, which says the iPad's share of tablet data-traffic consumption was an astounding 95% or more in 12 of 13 countries surveyed.
How do you like them apples?
Here's a look at comScore's just-released statistics on the iPad's share of tablet-data traffic consumption in May.
- 100%: Japan
- 99%: U.K.
- 98%: Australia and France
- 97%: Spain, Germany, the United States, and Argentina
- 96%: Chile
- 95%: Brazil, Canada, and Singapore
- 89%: India
To be sure, data traffic probably doesn't correlate perfectly with market share or sales. And the comScore data didn't include China, the world's second-largest economy. Nonetheless, these numbers suggest that recent improvements in tablet options have done little to dent the iPad's popularity. And they're consistent with a recent statement by NVIDIA's (Nasdaq: NVDA) CEO, who said Android tablets aren't selling well.
Who's on second?
The very distant first runner-up in each of these countries except Canada, home of Research In Motion (Nasdaq: RIMM), was the Android operating system. Android tablets include Motorola Mobility's (NYSE: MMI) Xoom, Samsung's Galaxy Tab, and Dell's (Nasdaq: DELL) Streak. Research In Motion's proprietary PlayBook is off to a lukewarm start.
It can be tempting to call a game like this in the early innings, but let's not forget that other players are still coming onto the field. Hewlett-Packard's (NYSE: HPQ) proprietary webOS-based TouchPad has also received positive reviews and ships on July 1. Sony's (NYSE: SNE) Android-based S1 and S2 have unique designs that have received encouraging reviews. They're due out by this fall.
Foolish takeaway
It's definitely too soon to call the tablet wars. Still, recent data shows that Apple's iPad is maintaining a wide lead even as competitors step up their game and more companies enter the playing field.
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