Apple is set to solidify its market dominance in the tablet sector — garnering 80 percent of U.S. market for 2011 — on the heels of the iPad 2 launch, according to Forrester Research.
The updated model, which was presented by Apple (NASDAQ: AAPL) leader Steve Jobs yesterday at a press event, appeared to offer just enough incremental improvements, such as dual cameras, a faster dual-core processor and a sleeker design — to keep consumers coming back for more.
At the same time, the iPad’s competition is lagging behind, both in getting product to market and in matching Apple in the price, branding, ecosystem support and retail experience.
That’s not to say that the slew of new Android tablets won’t eat away at some of Apple’s profits, as the Motorola Xoom and others begin to impress, and there’s still room for new players to emerge.
“We have yet to see a play from potential disruptors like Amazon, who could enter the tablet market at a lower price point, or Sony and Microsoft, who could offer radically differentiated value propositions. Things could get rowdy,” writes Forrester analyst Sarah Rotman Epps in her iPad 2 blog post.