Apple Now Controlling 70 Percent Of Tablet Market

Apple now controls 70 percent of the worldwide tablet PC market according to a report by IHS iSuppli. The company claims that Apple reached 70 percent by the end of Q2 2012.

Unlike Samsung, Asus, and other competitors who ship millions of units but often only see a portion of those sales, Apple reports its numbers based on sell-through which makes its 70 percent market domination all the more impressive.

Apple’s second closest competitor, Amazon, reported sales of more than one million Amazon Tablet Fires, and it is the only company to report actual sell-through numbers alongside Apple, Inc.

Apple in Q2 2012 reported iPad sales of 17 million worldwide. In comparison, Samsung shipped 2.3 million units for a 9.2 percent share. Apple also revealed that 10.1 million iPad units sold in Q2 2012 were sold in the United States. Samsung sold 193,000 tablets in the US during the same Q2 period.

Rounding out the top five are Asus with 688,000 tablets shipped and Barnes Noble which delivered 459,000 Nooks.

Even if the top four competitors below Apple were to combine sales, they would still control less than 20 percent of the tablet market.

The most impressive statistic might be that Apple took an additional 12 percent of the tablet market compared to Q1 2012. With Apple’s new Retina display controlling its next generation iPads and a market base that continues to leave Windows for Apple based programs Apple could continue to increase in important among non-traditional Apple consumers.

Apple may also have witnessed increased sales in Q2 2012 thanks in part to price reductions for its still noteworthy Apple iPad 2.