Gartner this morning offered up their latest missive on the global tablet market, following last week’s similar outlook piece from IDC.
Gartner sees global tablet computer sales totaling 63.6 million units this year, slightly ahead of IDC’s 62.5 million-unit estimate.
Gartner, like IDC, sees Apple’s (AAPL) iPad continuing to command a strong lead, with 73.4% share expected this year. Total shipments for tablets based on Google’s (GOOG) “Android” operating system will reach 11 million units, or 17%, the firm believes.
That is down 28% from Gartner’s prior estimate for Android sales, and would have been a bigger cut except that the forthcoming introduction of the rumored Amazon.com (AMZN) tablet this fall has bolstered the Android camp somewhat.
In 2012, Android tablets should roughly double in shipments to 22.88 million units, while Apple’s iPad will rise by almost 50%, to 69 million units.
Gartner analyst Carolina Milanesi writes that Android is hampered by high prices and a weak user interface, the latter of which factors will be address by the forthcoming “Ice Cream Sandwich” update to Android, she believes.
As far as Microsoft’s (MSFT) efforts, the firm sees Windows-based tablets reaching 4 million units in 2012, but zooming to 34 million units in 2013.
Apple shares are down $8.09, or 2%, at $404.05. Google shares are down $20.28, or almost 4%, at $518.92.
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