iPad rules China with 70% tablet share

Even though Apple’s third-generation iPad arrived in China four months late (blame it on the Proview situation), it appears that the device has helped push Apple’s tablet market share in the 1.33 billion people country past the 70 percent mark.

That’s quite an achievement considering that Apple only operates six company retail stores in China (two more are opening soon in Chengdu and Shenzhen).

It’s also worth a headline knowing that most Chinese cannot afford expensive gear and especially with large-scale buyers paying scalpers to stand in the line and purchase iPads in bulk for the purpose of reselling them on gray market…

According to China Daily, Apple’s China tablet share during the second quarter of this year, based on data from market researcher Analysys International, was sitting at a whopping 72.6 percent.

That’s 4.4 percentage points higher than an IDC-estimated Q2 2012 global market share for the iPad and a cool 20 percent increase from the first quarter of 2012.

A Lenovo tablet held about 8.38 percent of the market share, followed by Samsung’s Galaxy tablet series that declined nearly eight percent annually to a 3.59 percent market share in the second quarter of 2012.

Elsewhere, Samsung’s Galaxy slates file as the best-selling non-Apple tablets.

An Analysys analyst contributed Apple’s tablet growth in China to a price reduction for the iPad 2, which has been selling for a $100 less since the iPad 3’s debut in March.

Per IDC, Samsung globally was a distant second in Q2 2012, grabbing a 9.6 percent market share and growing 117.6 percent year-over-year (the iPad is first with a 68.2 percent share).

It’s a bit surprising that Samsung’s tablets are declining in China, no?

Perhaps the Chinese have an aversion toward gadgets that infringe upon other people’s work?

I meant that as an irony, but feel free to slam me down in the comments.