When the tablet market launched two years ago, it was a decidedly luxury buy. Since then, tablets have become more of a mainstream purchase, as the Apple iPad has dropped in price and less costly Android-based tablets and the Amazon Kindle Fire have come on the market. Apple still has the leadership position, but its dominance has softened. In September 2011, two in 10 prospective tablet buyers reported they weren’t considering an iPad; six months later, that figure had risen to almost three in 10. Meanwhile, the Fire, Samsung Galaxy Tab and HP TouchPads and Sony Tablets, with their own strong brands and e-commerce opportunities, have emerged as the top challenges to the iPad.
