Tablet market: Apple vs. Android vs. Microsoft. Which one will be on top?

Apple’s iPad will have overwhelming majority of 2011 sales, but by end of 2015, Android expected to run on 36 percent of tablets.

Apple created the modern tablet market, and its iPad has become the undisputed king of tablet computers. The iPad promises to hold that dominance for years to come, research firm Gartner said.

Apple’s iPad will command 73.4 percent of global tablet sales in 2011 and will hold the majority of tablet sales until 2014, Gartner said.

In 2015, Apple will still be dominant over Android tablets and others, with 46 percent of the market. In that year, however, Android tablets and even some from Microsoft and Research in Motion will gain ground, Gartner said.

Gartner analyst Carolina Milanesi said Apple does so well because Apple delivers a superior and unified user experience across its hardware, software and services. Apple had the foresight to create this market and in doing that, planned for it, as far as component supplies such as memory and screen. This allowed Apple to bring the iPad out at a very competitive price and no compromise in experience among the different models that offer storage and connectivity options.

By comparison, Android tablets will account for 17.3 percent of sales in 2011, Gartner said, while any other platform will have no more than 5 percent.

According to the survey, overall in 2011, tablet computer sales globally will top 63 million devices, an increase of 261 percent over last year.

It is predicted, that by the end of 2015, tablet sales will reach 326 million devices.

As expected, the iPad will have the overwhelming majority of 2011 tablet sales, with 73.4 percent, or nearly 46.7 million total. Android’s total in 2011 will be 17.3 percent, or 11 million.

In 2015, Gartner said Android will grow to 116 million tablet sales, compared to 148 million for Apple.
Also in 2015, Microsoft tablets and Research in Motion’s QNX-based tablet will be sizable market forces. Microsoft is expected to sell 34 million units in 2015, while RIM’s will sell 26 million, Gartner said.
For 2015, Gartner’s forecasts give Apple 46 percent of the tablet market, followed by Android devices at 36 percent, Microsoft at 11 percent and QNX at 8 percent.

So what are your thoughts on this research? What do you think, who will take the lead? What are you predictions?

It would be great to hear your comments and assumptions on that point.