Tablets running the Android OS now account for over four out of every ten devices shipped, according to new research.
The Strategy Analytics group has claimed that the Google-built operating system's market share has risen to 41.3 per cent in Q3 of 2012.
That's up dramatically from the 29.1 per cent slice the platform held at the end of the same period last year.
Of course, Android's purported gain through tablets like the Amazon Kindle Fire and Google Nexus 7, must mean a diminishing wedge for another platform, and that platform is iOS.
The group has reported that in the same time period, the iPad's share has fallen from 64.5 per cent to 56.7 per cent, despite Apple shipping more 26 per cent more tablets.
Can Windows 8 have an impact?
With the iPad mini coming on Nov. 2, it's plausible that the Apple's share will push back towards last year's figure. Also, it's not like people are buying less iPads, just more tablets as a whole.
A lot will depend on whether consumers choose the 7.9-inch slate over the more affordable Android options from Amazon and Google..
The next set of figures may also see Windows RT enter the fray. It will be interesting to see whether tablets like the Microsoft Surface can take another bite out of Apple's slice of the pie.
