Once the undisputed leader in the tablet from Apple, Samsung and Acer vie for No. 2 tablet finally the world, according to research firm DisplaySearch.
While Apple shipped about 4.7 million 10-inch class tablets last quarter, Samsung seems the nearest competitor at about 850,000 units sold worldwide in the same quarter, according to Richard Shim of DisplaySearch, which pegs its numbers to vendors' public statements.
Close on the heels is Samsung's Acer. The new kid on the block, Acer seems to deal with its 10.1-inch tablet Iconia Tab A500. Acer has shipped 800,000 units in the current quarter, the first financial period of meaningful numbers reflect, said Shim.
But this hides bad news. Acer tablet cut drastically its 2011 delivery forecast to between 2.5 million and 3 million units from an earlier projection of 5 million to 7 million units, Shim said, referring to testimony this month by Acer.
And Acer is not alone. Other tablet makers are cutting back. In a report earlier this month, said JP Morgan analyst Mark Moskowitz, non-Apple tablet-makers have a "dose of reality" received by not making a product in high demand as the iPhone. Moskowitz estimates the number of tablets that companies together plan to build for years has dropped to 73 million from 81 million he is expected in March.
Both Samsung and Acer, Apple has a strong presence in both Europe and Asia. Unlike Apple, they use Google's Android operating system.
Samsung, which has been sold, a 7-inch Galaxy Tab and just started selling a 10.1-inch model that now enhanced slimness and weight, and iPhone: Galaxy Tab 10.1 is about as thin and as light as iPhone 2.
Acer, which has a strong PC heritage, is more focused on connectivity. The Iconia Tab 500 is relatively heavy and sports an HDMI and a USB port and memory card (microSD) slot. Acer will also begin selling 7-inch tablet this quarter.
Also in the running, the so-called enterprise market. Although a separate category on the market sellers above - and the business market is an aggregation of many small suppliers - white boxes record second to Apple, according to DisplaySearch.
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