Tablet market to see more competition with Ice Cream Sandwich

The tablet market is expected to become even more competitive in 2012 as more manufacturers roll out devices based on Google's dual-minded Android™ 4.0 operating system, Taiwanese economic news source CENS reports.

Android 4.0, or Ice Cream Sandwich, became available in fall 2011, but the majority of tablet computers based on the mobile operating system aren't expected to hit the shelves until 2012. According to CENS, which interviewed executives from Taiwan's electronics industry, the market will see the introduction of new tablets from several manufacturers boasting a wide variety of specifications.

CENS also reports that Apple® may introduce its latest generation iPad® during the first quarter of 2012, which would significantly increase the competition for those looking to get a foothold in the growing tablet market.

Further adding to the competition is the arrival of Microsoft's Windows® 8 OS, which will run on both tablets and PCs. The news provider reports that several manufacturers are planning to roll out Windows 8-based tablets, though likely not until later in the year.

To date, Apple's iPad has cast a long shadow over the growing tablet market. As new software is introduced and new manufacturers step up to the plate, however, experts predict the competition will become much stiffer.