Apple, Inc tightened its choke-hold on the global market for tablet computers during the third quarter, according to a report issued by research firm Strategy Analytics (SA).
According to SA's data, Apple's share of the tablet market rose to 95 percent. Meanwhile, Android-powered devices claimed just a 2.3 percent share of the market.
"Global tablet sales rose 26 percent from the previous period to 4.4 million units, with Apple selling 4.19 million iPads, [Strategy Analytics] said in a statement. Android's share of the market declined to 2.3 percent from 2.9 percent," Bloomberg reports.
"The tablet wars are up and running," said Neil Mawston of Strategy Analytics. "Apple has quickly leveraged its famous brand, an extensive retail presence and user-friendly design to develop the tablet segment into a multi-billion-dollar global business."
Mawston went on to predict that Android's market share would increase in the current quarter, as competitors begin releasing a new wave of tablet devices. The Samsung Galaxy Tab, for example, is set to go on sale at T-Mobile locations on November 10.
In addition, Microsoft, Nokia, Intel, Hewlett-Packard and RIM plan on releasing tablets built on their own platforms, writes Reuters. "But with the iPad having already set the bar so very high in terms of customer expectations, these new tablets all have their work cut out for them in order to succeed in the race to gain new market share," Paul Carton, vice president of research at ChangeWave, told the Wall Street Journal.