Report shows Android tablet growth outpacing previous estimates

Tablets appear to have broken into the mainstream this year, with a recent report from technology analyst Digitimes predicting 2011 shipments will reach 65.2 million. That marks 420 percent growth from 2010.

Also, as US consumers become more interested in tablet computers, more are branching out to new devices. Although Apple's iPad, which has held the market lead since breaking into the market last year, will still hold the majority of the share this year, Digitimes says "other vendors will provide consumers with more choice for operating systems, product features and screen size."

In fact, the research shows that tablets based on Google's Android mobile operating system hold the potential to penetrate as much as 30 percent of the market. That shows a significant rise in interest in Android tablets, as all other non-iOS and non-Android tablets will account for just another 9 percent of the market, the report says.

The research shows that competitors may be catching up to Apple much more quickly than some had previously thought. Market research firm Gartner, just a few months ago, predicted that Android would account for just 19.9 percent of the market in 2011.