A new study by market researcher Strategy Analytics estimates that the Apple iPad accounted for 80% of tablet shipments (i.e. 6 million units) in North America during the second quarter of 2011.

The Boston researcher reckons that despite Apple’s tight grip on the American tablet market, it’s not impossible for Amazon and other tablet vendors to break the iPad’s hold.

But it will be hard.

Strategy Analytics’ Senior Analyst Alex Spektor said:

Apple completely dominates the North American tablet market, capturing 80 percent share of 7.5 million shipments during Q2 2011. Apple remains a long way ahead of its main rivals such as Motorola, Samsung, RIM, Asus and HTC. A combination of cool branding, user-friendly hardware, entertaining services and savvy retail distribution has made Apple a formidable market leader.

Strategy Analytics’ director Neil Mawston thinks Amazon can be one of the main challengers to Apple’s dominance if it gets pricing, screen size and hardware design right.

Well, that’s like saying you can be God if you can bat like Sachin Tendulkar, drive like Michael Schumacher and swim like Michael Phelps. 😉

Easier said than done!

According to Mawston:

Like Apple, Amazon has a strong brand, compelling content, sophisticated billing systems and widespread distribution. In effect, Amazon’s new tablet product represents a good opportunity to place an Amazon shopping cart in the hands of American consumers, offering optimized access to purchasing digital content or physical goods from the Amazon online store.

By the way, Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos is announcing the company’s Kindle Fire tablet in New York City tomorrow.

  iPad, Tablets