Nineteen of the world's leading tablet vendors went head- to-head in the latest vendor matrix from market intelligence firm ABI Research. The vendor matrix ranked companies on several criteria related to both product implementation and vendor innovation. The overall winner in this tablet Competitive Assessment was Samsung Electronics. The Korean-based computing and consumer electronics conglomerate bested all other tablet vendors in the Innovation category while scoring second overall in the Implementation category. Clearly king of the hill when it comes to tablet shipment volumes, Apple trailed Samsung on tablet Innovation landing in second. The two leading makers have continued to distance themselves from other tablet vendors, reflected visually in the results grouping of vendors for this assessment. In third place, overall, for the vendor matrix is Xplore Technologies. A specialist in rugged tablets for vertical business audiences, Xplore recently launched the first rugged Android tablet. The company came out ahead of the majority of vendors assessed in this vendor matrix with a good balance between Implementation and Innovation.

Samsung bested all other tablet vendors in the Innovation category with great scores for its breadth of tablet portfolio, leadership in owning much of the component technology used in its products, and support for incremental user interfaces beyond the touch display. Following Samsung on Innovation was Apple and Xplore Technologies.

Apple topped the pack of tablet vendors with its Implementation scores for the success it has had over the past year with its iPad. Beyond its production prowess, Apple has done an amazing job educating the marketplace through TV, print, and digital marketing about tablets and how these devices appeal to user audiences. The company also received perfect scores for its geographic market reach in all regions of the world. Runners up in Implementation are Samsung and Lenovo. China's Lenovo was squarely focused this past year on its home market and made impressive gains in mind and market share.

"Apple's success with iPad tablet shipments is undeniable," says senior practice director Jeff Orr. "Looking ahead, the breadth of Samsung's product portfolio and technology ownership give it a leadership role for future tablet development."