There’s no doubt that Apple’s latest iteration of the iPad
is a hit with consumers. Day one sales are estimated at 500,000 or above and people are still lining up outside their nearest Apple store to get their hands on one.
But the iPad 2 is entering a much different world than its predecessor. And while Apple still holds a commanding market share position, it may be in for a much tougher fight this time around.
It’s hard to take 20 steps at 
CES without someone thrusting a tablet computer at you this year.
With Apple having paved the way for tablets last year, 2011 is when the competition is hoping to chip away at the company’s dominance in the category. It’s going to be a tough fight, though.
In just eight months, Apple has 
managed to create one of the computer world’s fastest-growing and most lucrative sub markets. And the competitors are getting tired of Steve Jobs and Co. hogging the spotlight.
Launched in April 2010, the iPad has quickly come to define tablet computing. Consumers have snatched it up, with 2010 sales expected to total between 15 million and 19.5 million units. With prices ranging from $499 to $829, the iPad is a huge breadwinner for the company; Apple can’t keep up with demand.
CES 2010 had thousands of items on 
the show floor, but at the end of the day, it was about 3D TV. The show marked the coming out party for the technology—and pretty much everything else was caught in its wake.
This year, though, there’s not likely to be a theme that’s quite so dominant, which will give other products a chance to shine.
Research in Motion, the company behind the Blackberry
, is still fighting Apple tooth and nail in the smartphone market – and it’s not planning to cede the tablet space to the company, either.
The company today unveiled its Playbook tablet, a 7-inch 9.7mm-thick device that’s due early next year in the U.S., with plans for an international roll-out in the second quarter of 2011.
Chris Morris: Journalist 