Last year when Apple launched the iPad it has a near monopoly of the market, thanks to the fact the tablet was the first to sell by the millions, compared to the mostly business-oriented alternatives that were available then. This is why iOS took a 94.3 percent share of the tablet market in the second quarter of 2010, but rising competition has since shrunken Apple’s market share to 61.3 percent this year, according to research firm Strategy Analytics.

“Google’s Android OS was, unsurprisingly, the biggest climber both in terms of global tablet OS units shipped worldwide and tablet OS market share. Android tablets went from 2.9 percent of the worldwide market in the second quarter of 2010 to 30.1 percent in the just-concluded quarter.”

Apple’s market share declined, but iPad sales are at an all-time high. Apple shipped 9.3 million iPads this year, compared to the 4.6 Android-powered tablets sold this quarter. Microsoft and RIM, the third and fourth tablet makers by sales respectively, have also seen some growth. Microsoft’s share increased by 4.6 percent year-over-year, and the Canadian phonemaker has grown 3.3 percent in the same time frame.

Apple iPad gains in enterprise sector

Overall it seems that the iPad, which is no longer the only real choice on the market, is taking a hit from the competition. That, however, is not true when it comes to corporate customers, says device management services company Good Technology.

According to a report by the firm, the iPad and iPad 2 account for 97 percent of all tablet activations in the enterprise. The survey doesn’t account for RIM and Windows Phone 7 devices, only iOS and Android OS, which holds the vast majority of market share. But overall, Apple customers account for 80 percent of Smartphone and tablet activation in the corporate space, up 10 percent from Q1.