With the launch of the iPad 3, Apple will be set to take over 70% of the tablet market in 2012, according to IMS Research. IMS predicts that Apple will sell about 70 million iPads in 2012.
![tablet market](https://i0.wp.com/cdn.ientry.com/sites/webpronews/article_pics/chart01.jpg)
The increase in sales would further distance Apple from the rest of the Android tablet competition, with Android tablet makers being forced into a low-cost, low-profit realm of the market, to compete against each other, rather than even going near Apple.
Gary Xu, PC market Analyst at IMS Research states that “there is a large customer base loyal to Apple products that have been waiting for the latest tablet,” said Gerry Xu, PC Market Analyst at IMS Research. “Many owners of the iPad 1 are also expected to upgrade to the latest release. In addition to this consumer demand, growth is also forecast as a result of sales into enterprise and education.” Xu also contends that Amazon’s Kindle Fire poses no threat to the iPad 3, and predicts that Android tablets will lose roughly 9% of the market share in 2012, regardless Android global shipments being up 10% in 2011.
Apple’s strategy of dominating the user experience worked well when it came to the media player and smartphone markets, and looks to repeat itself in the tablet market. The iPad 3 is set to launch today at 1 PM EST.