iPad leads as Q3 tablet shipments jump 264 percent

From CNET News.com: Apple's iPad led an exploding tablet market in the third quarter, research firm IDC has revealed.

During the three-month period ended September 30, 18.1 million tablets were shipped worldwide, representing a 23.9 percent gain over the second quarter, and a whopping 264.5 percent increase over the third quarter of 2010. However, IDC had expected 19.2 million tablets would hit store shelves last quarter, indicating the market was a little more sluggish than it had anticipated.

Regardless, several companies did well during the third quarter, and Apple was chief among them. The iPad maker shipped 11.1 million tablet units, according to IDC, helping it nab 61.5 percent of the market. Samsung's tablet line secured 5.6 percent market share to grab the second spot.

Surprisingly, HP's TouchPad was the third-most-popular tablet during the period, shipping 903,000 units and securing 5 percent market share. Those strong sales came after HP announced that it was discontinuing the tablet and slashing its price to $99 to clear inventory. Soon after, the tablet was sold out, as customers rushed to get their hands on the cheap iPad alternative.

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