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"2012 was the year of the tablet.  Although final numbers are still rolling in, a recent report from International Data Corporation (IDC) estimates that the worldwide tablet market has reached an astounding 122.3 million units, nearly double the number from 2011.  \nWith that kind of momentum, what can we expect to see in the coming year for tablets?  Let\u2019s take a look.\nSize Does Matter\nLarge-screen tablets like the iPad still dominate the market with an estimated 59% share, but according to IHS iSuppli, smaller tablets are taking an ever bigger piece of the pie.  iSuppli estimates that just under 34 million small tablets (those with screens eight inches or less) were shipped in 2012, a considerable jump from 17 million in 2011.  And it\u2019s believed that this number will double, possibly accounting for at least 50% of the market in 2013.  \nAlthough smaller tablets like the Amazon Kindle Fire and the Barnes &amp; Noble Nook HD proved popular in 2012, perhaps the biggest surprise was the Google Nexus 7.  Released in June, the tiny tablet showed steady growth, and is now selling an estimated one million units every month.  \nBut the Nexus is still small potatoes compared to Apple and its 7.9-inch iPad mini.  Despite a significant price premium over comparable Android tablets, the mini sold an estimated 8 million units in its first two months on the market, and some say it would have been even more were it not for a touchscreen supply problem.  Naturally, the rumors of a mini 2 with a retina display are already swirling, with the possibility of a new model as early as March 2013.  \nWhy are smaller tablets becoming more popular? Aside from the lower price compared to larger tablets, IDC analyst Tom Mainelli says, \u201CIt\u2019s lighter, easier to hold with one hand and certainly a more mobile device.\u201D To that end, IDC\u2019s research shows that larger tablets are generally used at home on Wi-Fi, whereas the smaller tablets can easily be thrown into a purse or coat pocket for use on-the-go with cellular service.  Essentially, Steve Jobs' presumption that seven-inch tablets are \u201Ctweeners,\u201D \u201Ctoo big to compete with a smartphone; too small to compete with an iPad,\u201D turns out to be exactly what many consumers want.\nLow Money, No Problems\nUntil this year, tablets weren\u2019t cheap.  The going price, set by the original iPad, was $500 for the low-end, Wi-Fi-only model of everything from the HP TouchPad to the Blackberry Playbook to the Motorola Xoom.  But with the release of the seven-inch Kindle Fire, the Nexus 7 and the Nook HD, the price wars have begun.  \nWith many smaller tablets hovering around that $200 \u201Cimpulse buy\u201D sweet spot, they're now more accessible to a broader range of customers who have been snatching them up in droves.  If the trend holds, 2013 could see additional price drops as the market becomes even more crowded, especially in the popular seven-inch form factor.  \nPerhaps the first out of the gate will be Acer, with a rumored Wi-Fi-only, seven-inch tablet called the Iconia B1, which will retail for around $99.  At the moment, it\u2019s believed that the tablet will only be made available in foreign markets, including China, where it\u2019s designed to compete against a bevy of inexpensive, no-name \u201Cwhite box\u201D tablets that have been flooding the country over the last few years.  But if the B1 is a success, there\u2019s no reason it couldn\u2019t find a few nibbles of market share on different shores.  At that price point, it could marketed as a \u201Cdisposable\u201D tablet for kids or for those who only require tablet mobility on occasion.  \nAndroid Taking a Bigger Bite of the Apple\nIn 2010, Apple had a very secure 87% of tablet market share.  But as expected with increased competition, that number has dwindled ever since, and IDC estimates Apple\u2019s hold has slipped to 53.8% this year.  At the same time, Android\u2019s market share has risen to 42.7%, thanks to its use in the popular Nexus, Kindle Fire and Nook devices.  \nAs more Android-based tablets are set to release in the coming months, Finvista Advisors\u2019 analyst Sameer Singh believes that 2013 will likely mark the year iOS will lose it\u2019s tablet dominance to the little green robot.  However, that projection is based on an 18% drop in iPad sales for Q3 2012, when people were waiting for Apple's iPad mini announcement.  Now that the mini has been released and deemed a bona fide success, it\u2019s unclear if 2013 will be the tipping point, after all.\nAside from iOS and Android, a dark horse could have an impact in the years to come: Windows.  By 2016, IDC estimates that iOS and Android will still be on top with 49.7% and 39.7%, respectively, but they place Redmond\u2019s native son as a scrappy up-and-comer with 10.3% market share.  Although the first round of Surface tablets equipped with Windows RT has barely registered on consumers\u2019 radar, the 2013 release of the more powerful Surface Pro with Windows 8 could have more of an impact.\nBut don\u2019t cry for me, Cupertino. Even if Android does overtake iOS in 2013, Apple still sold 58 million iPads for the 2012 fiscal year, far more than any single Android tablet manufacturer. So it\u2019s safe to say the iPad will be around for the foreseeable future.\nTablets &gt; Laptops\nFor decades, the only way to get portable computing power was to lug around a laptop.  But as tablet apps and the cloud have simultaneously become more powerful, the uncontested reign of the laptop may soon come to an end.  \nIn December, industry analyst DisplaySearch found that, of the nine largest laptop companies, only four \u2014 Sony, Asus, Lenovo and Apple \u2014 expect to sell more laptops in 2013 than in 2012, but not by much.  Lenovo is the most confident, with projected sales of 31 million, versus 27 million in 2012.  Dell, on the other hand, is expecting its laptop sales to plummet to 16 million, down from 25.3 million in 2012.  Overall, the market shows an estimated drop from 187.4 million in 2012 to a projected 173.2 million in the coming year.  \nWhen you consider that IDC forecasts 2013 tablet sales to be as high as 172 million units, it won\u2019t take much for laptops to topple.\nWhat do you think the future holds for tablets?  Share your predictions in the comments below.\nMathew Sumner/Getty Images News/Getty Images"^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
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