New survey confirms the iPad’s lead in tablet market

Last week, iSuppli released some interesting numbers on the current state of the tablet market. The report claimed that the iPad dropped from 64 percent market share in Q3 to 57 percent in Q4, and that Amazon’s Kindle Fire was able to grab 14 percent of the tablet market during the holiday quarter.

Adding to the numbers released by iSuppli, research group NDP has released their report on the current state of the tablet market, notes TechCrunch. No surprise, the iPad is still king holding a comfortable lead, with Amazon in second place…

According to NDP’s research, Apple’s iPad accounts for 59.1 percent of tablets that were shipped in Q4 2011, while Amazon holds the second spot with 16.7 percent shipped.

Amazon’s Kindle Fire was released in November of 2011 in the US, priced at $199. Apple’s iPad 2 has been on the market since March of 2011, and is set to see a refresh in the first week of March.

Being only available in the US, Amazon’s Kindle Fire racked in some pretty solid numbers during Q4 2011. Priced at $199, the Kindle Fire offers a cheaper alternative to those who want a tablet. However, according to both iSuppli and NDP, Apple doesn’t look to be coming close to losing their lead in the tablet market — especially with the launch of the iPad 3 this quarter.

Apple sold a record 15.43 million iPads during their fiscal Q1 2012, as holiday shoppers wanted to get their hands on the tablet. Apple’s global reach definitely gives them an advantage over Amazon and other manufactuers, who currently only make their tablets available in the US.

Barnes and Noble, Samsung, and ASUS are among the other top tablet manufacturers worldwide. For now, Apple looks like they will remain the king.

We know you love the iPad, but what do you think about the Kindle Fire?