Appetite for mini tablets amongst consumers has seen one in every two tablets shipped this quarter at below eight inches in screen size.
International Data Corporation, who researched the current state of the market, has increased its 2013 forecast for the worldwide tablet sales to 190.9 million, up from its previous forecast of 172.4 million units
Intriguingly, Android’s share of the market is forecast to reach a peak of 48.8% in 2013 compared to 41.5% in IDC’s previous forecast, which will put it ahead of Apple for the first time.
Apple’s iOS is expected to slip from 51% of the market in 2012 to 46% in 2013, despite moving into the mini tablet market strongly with the iPad mini.
In the longer term, both iOS and Android will eventually relinquish some market share to Windows-based tablets, with Windows 8 predicted to grow from 1% of the market in 2012 to 7.4% in 2017, according to the IDC.
jitesh Ubrani, research analyst for IDC’s tablet tracker, said: "Vendors are moving quickly to compete in this space as consumers realize that these small devices are often more ideal than larger tablets for their daily consumption habits."
IDC also believes eReader shipments peaked in 2011 at 26.4 million units explaining they declined to 18.2 million units in 2012.
As a result the sector is expected to grow only modestly in 2013 and 2014, before it begins a gradual and permanent decline from 2015.
