Apple dominated the world tablet PC market with a 62% market share in 2011, according to the World Tablet PC Market Quarterly Tracker from IMS Research. However, this is forecast to increase significantly, to 70% in 2012, with the release of its third iPad model, expected to be unveiled later today.

IMS Research forecasts that approximately 70 million iPads will be shipped in 2012, which would represent a 71% year-on-year growth. Gerry Xu, PC Market Analyst at IMS Research says, “There is a large customer base loyal to Apple products that have been waiting for the latest tablet. 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”.

The iPad 3 is expected to debut with features such as a Quad-core processor, Retina Display resolution, 4G LTE connectivity and an 8 MP camera. The new anticipated features will help Apple extend the distance between itself and its rivals. With greater purchasing power, leveraged by its scale, Apple can offer a competitive price point, with the iPad 3 projected to start from $549, alongside a high quality product.

Whilst Apple is forecast to enjoy increased success, the market is becoming increasingly competitive for the other tablet vendors. “Only modest growth was forecast for non-iPad tablets,” Xu adds. “Of these, the Kindle Fire from Amazon and several Win8 tablets, which will be released in late 2012, are forecast to be most successful. However, to date there is no significant threat to the iPad’s continued dominance in the tablet market. In fact, the share of Android tablets is forecast to fall from 35% in 2011 to 26% in 2012. These tablets have struggled to compete with the user experience offered by the iPad and most future Android tablets are expected to target the low cost side of the market.”