Tidal Wave of Tablets on the Horizon

It points to a number of reasons for the growth: the ever-increasing options for consumers, including new operating systems. New features on the devices and third-party apps are proliferating. As well, the mobile computing global supply and manufacturing chain has increased capacity to meet demand.

The growing choice in operating systems is like as not the most underappreciated of all the drivers behind tablet growth. More often than not, the tablet market has been all about Apple, nearly all of the time, in spite of offerings from other vendors.

However, Google Android and Microsoft Windows RT initiatives will take root and carve out significant share in the tablet market as then, according to NPD DisplaySearch.

As a result, iOS will lose share, dropping from 72.1 percent in 2012 to 50.9 percent in 2017. Android will increase from 22.5 percent in 2012 to 40.5 percent over the same period, NPD DisplaySearch predicts.

Natural evolution of the market

"It will be more of a natural evolution of the market," he said. "Yes, Apple will be losing share, however the number of units it ships will as well rise by a significant degree. "