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Apple's market share boomed in the second quarter of the year, with Cupertino accounting for 69.6 per cent of all tablets shipped globally

The latest figures from IHS iSuppli show sales of iPad fondleslabs were up 44 per cent in the second quarter, at 17 million tablets sold. Apple shipped nearly 29 million tablets shipped this year in total, while its nearest global rival Samsung has shipped just 4.5 million in the year in comparison.

"Apple is making all the right moves to rebuild its dominant position in the tablet space." said Rhoda Alexander, director, tablet and monitor research for IHS. "The company is pushing visual performance boundaries with the new iPad, while providing value customers with a lower-priced alternative, the iPad 2."

"With the expected entrance of the 7-inch version of the iPad in September, Apple is sending a clear message that it plans to dominate this market over the long term."

The data showed bad news for both Amazon and Barnes & Noble, with sales falling 13 and 25 per cent respectively. Asus did well however, with a 26 per cent sales boost, albeit from a very low base of ownership, with 1.2 million units sold this year.

While Apple is busy crushing all comers under its heel, Alexander notes that the company will be facing fresh competition from Google and Microsoft. Google's Nexus 7 tablet is proving very popular and Microsoft is rumored to be aiming its ARM-based Surface fondleslab at Apple.

"It's possible that each of these vendors is entering the market intending to lead by example, rather than trying to be serious branded tablet competitors," she said.

"However, they both have the potential to end up as major players even if their original intent was only to demonstrate how it could be done. Microsoft in particular will be one to watch, with its existing Xbox gaming community on the consumer side and its operating-system dominance in business markets." ®

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