[ajross]

Um... So a quarter notable mostly for Apples entry into a tablet form factor market already pioneered by other competitors is somehow a testament to the platform's... dominance?

(I really want to respond to the idea of yearning for another IBM/Microsoft-scale monopoly too, but I'll limit myself to simple snark for now.)

[officemonkey]

Apple's entry into the phone market already pioneered by other competitors is a testament to the platform's dominance.

Also, no one would be making tablets of any size if it weren't for the success of the iPad (introduced January 2010.) If you recall, 2009 was all about the netbooks. Remember them? Nobody else does either.

The Nexus 7 (released at the end of June) is the first non-iPad tablet of any size that has ever gotten a legit positive review. It's hard to see how the unimpressive Android tablets of the past two years and the Kindle Fire constitute successful pioneering. And now Apple looks to introduce a very strong competitor three months later.

Here's my prediction. Unless the iPad mini is an unmitigated turd, Apple's iPad mini will outsell the Nexus 7 five-to-one during the Christmas quarter. That's platform dominance.

[duiker101]

it will outsell the Nexus 7 just because it has an apple on it's back. I know that like everyone in here.

[chrisbrandow]

its dominance will be established (or not!) when customers have their say. They are certainly dominating tablet sales to date. They are making something that people like so much they are willing to pay more for it, rather than the ibm/msft days when people bought something because it was merely cheaper than the alternatives.