Honeycomb tablet sales reach 3.4 million

Google has enjoyed tremendous success in the smartphone market in recent years, and it undoubtedly is hoping to see similar trends with tablet computers. However, according to recent figures from technology blog SlashGear, the growth has been slow-going so far.

Based on figures from Google's most recent platform version stats and official activation numbers, SlashGear estimates that there are roughly 3.4 million tablets based on Honeycomb, or Android™ versions 3.0, 3.1 or 3.2, currently in use.

The news provider points out that this total only includes tablet computers that access the Android Market and are certified by Google, so not all devices "in the wild" are accounted for. However, the figure does contrast sharply with Google's smartphone market presence. According to research firm Gartner, nearly 180 million Android-based smartphones will ship in 2011, and 67.2 million shipped last year.

Despite a slower start, Android has become the No. 2 operating system for tablets, and experts predict Google's market share will increase in the coming years. One development that may further this along is Android 4.0, or Ice Cream Sandwich, which is expected to be released in fall 2011.