25% Of Americans Own A Tablet, Close Race Between iPad And Android

In a new study that was released yesterday, it's said that around 25% of American adults own a tablet. The iPad has the greater market share, but not by much. 52% of tablet owners have an iPad, while the remaining 48% own an Android variant. Around the same time last year, the iPad owned 81% of the tablet market share.

On the Android side, Amazon's Kindle Fire is reported to be the most popular Android tablet with a 21% market share, making it the second most popular tablet to the iPad. It's certainly a close race OS-wise, but breaking it down by manufacturer puts it into a different perspective. Apple alone dominates the tablet market with a 52% share, and if you break down each Android tablet maker, each of them only owns a fraction of the remaining 48% that's designated for Android tablets.

It's worth noting that these results were tallied before the Nexus 7 and the Kindle Fire HD were released, so it's possible that the already close race between the iPad and Android is now razor thin. And with the Kindle Fire being the most popular Android tablet, it's easy to see that budget tablets are sweeping the country in a big way.

As for smartphones, Android continues to claim the top spot in the US, with 46% of users running Google's mobile operating system. In comparison, the iPhone accounts for 38%, while RIM's BlackBerry platform owns just 10%. Again, breaking it down by manufacturer may tell a different story, with Apple most likely owning the overall market share.

[via Ars Technica]