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" Apple&amp;#039;s share of the global tablet market has risen to 68%, according to quarterly reports. The Cupertino-based firm&amp;#039;s grip on the sector has grown by 13.3% since the launch of the new iPad in March, helped on by a steep drop in shipments of Android tablets. Apple&amp;#039;s gain came partly at the expense of Amazon&amp;#039;s Kindle Fire, which fell from a 16.8% share in the fourth quarter of 2011 to 4% in the first quarter of this year, the latest data from IDC suggests. &amp;quot;Apple reasserted its dominance in the market this quarter, driving huge shipment totals at a time when all but a few Android vendors saw their numbers drop precipitously after posting big gains during the holiday buying season,&amp;quot; said IDC research director Tom Mainelli. &amp;quot;Apple&amp;#039;s move to position the iPad as an all-purpose tablet, instead of just a content consumption device, is resonating with consumers as well as educational and commercial buyers. And its decision to keep a lower-priced iPad 2 in the market after it launched the new iPad in March seems to be paying off as well.&amp;quot; Amazon&amp;#039;s slump allowed Samsung to emerge as the closest contender to Apple, followed by Lenovo, Barnes &amp;amp; Noble and Microsoft. IDC predicts that Android tablets will claw back market share from Apple in the coming months, with Samsung and Lenovo products &amp;quot;gaining traction&amp;quot; and Amazon planning to expand its Kindle range. "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.digitalspy.com/tech/apple/news/a379861/apple-increases-tablet-market-share/>