Android closed the gap on iOS’ dominance of the tablet software market in the third quarter of 2012, with the open-source platform capturing a record 41 percent share.

According to Strategy Analytics, Apple iOS slipped to 57 percent global market share in the period, down from 64 percent a year ago, fuelled by “disappointing” shipments of 14 million iPads.

“Apple’s slowdown allowed the Android community to make gains,” said Peter King, Director at Strategy Analytics. Neil Mawston, Executive Director at the research firm, added: “Android captured a record 41 percent share of global tablet shipments in Q3 2012, jumping from 29 percent a year earlier. Global Android tablet shipments doubled annually to 10.2 million units. No single Android vendor comes close to Apple in volume terms at the moment, but the collective weight of dozens of hardware partners, such as Asus, Samsung and Nook, is helping Google’s Android platform to register a growing presence in tablets.”

Global Tablet Operating System Shipments and Market Share in Q3 2012 

Overall, global tablet shipments reached 24.7 million units in Q3 2012, rising a “sluggish” 43 percent from 17.2 million in Q3 2011. “Demand for tablets slowed due to ongoing economic uncertainty and consumers holding off purchases in anticipation of multiple new models, like the iPad Mini, during the upcoming Q4 holiday season,” noted Strategy Analytics’ King. In fact, this was the weakest growth rate since the modern tablet industry began in Q2 2010 (in contrast, Q2 2011 saw a huge 289 percent annual growth rate).