Global tablet shipments – meaning shipments into the sales channels that don’t necessarily reach end users – grew 120 percent sequentially to reach 9.7 million units in the fourth quarter of 2010. The research firm attributed the iPad’s market share drop from the 95 percent peak in the third quarter of 2010 to the “rising competition from Android”. Rival tablet makers are, however, facing struggles to ship tablets in volume and have lowered May shipments amid component shortages caused by the Japan crisis and as Apple gulped virtually all supplies.

  • iPad BOM decreases as margins grow (9to5mac.com)
  • App queries retailers for iPad 2 availability (9to5mac.com)
  • Best Buy pulls iPad-trashing banner for Android tablet from website (9to5mac.com)
  • ABI Research pegs Apple’s share of 2010 tablet market to 85 percent (9to5mac.com)