17 million iPad tablets was sold in the second quarter of 2012

Apple iPad shipments increased by 44% in the second quarter, to 17 million units, and the company came to control 70% of global market tablets, the highest level of a period of a year, according to company IHS research, cited by Bloomberg.

Market share increased from 58.1% in the first quarter to 69.6%. According to IHS, Apple has not controlled a similar percentage of the global market in the first quarter of 2011.

Global sales of tablets would exceed those of PCs by 2015, according to research firm Yankee Group estimates, and Apple is preparing for the emergence of new competitors iPad.

Microsoft will launch this year Surface tablet, and Google will introduce Nexus 7.

“Apple sends a clear message that it intends to dominate the market long term. Google and Microsoft, Apple’s major rival, hopes to challenge Apple’s position in the second half of the year, but will have tremendous difficulties,” said IHS analyst Rhoda Alexander.

Amazon tablet market share fell to 4.2% in the second quarter from 5.8% in the previous three months. Samsung had a market share of 9.2%, down from 10.8%.