Figures from Net Applications measuring visitors to web sites suggest that the iPad is more than 50 times more popular than its nearest Android rival

Where, exactly, are all the other tablets? Besides the iPad. Yes, we've just reviewed HP's TouchPad, which is a far more promising device (in my opinion) than RIM's PlayBook, but according to Net Applications, Apple's device makes up 0.92% of all browsing across the web. Doesn't sound much - until you compare it to the nearest competitors, which according to Netmarketshare (and matching the rough calculations of sales) are the Samsung Galaxy Tab, with 0.018%, the Motorola Xoom (we've reviewed it), with 0.012% and the PlayBook (yes, we've reviewed it) with 0.003%.

Or, in relative terms:

306: iPad

6: Galaxy Tab

4: Xoom

1: PlayBook.

In other words, for every thousand page views by a tablet, 965 would come from an iPad, 19 from a Galaxy Tab, 12 from a Xoom and 3 from a PlayBook. (In market share terms, that would show up as Android having a 3% share.)

With 25m iPads sold, that would imply (on a like-for-like basis) that there are something like half a million Galaxy Tabs in use, and 325,000 Xooms.

Net Applications says "We collect data from the browsers of site visitors to our exclusive on-demand network of live stats customers. The data is (sic) compiled from approximately 160 million visitors per month."

The amazingly low numbers for the Android tablets may however mirror how their sales are progressing in the west. (China seems to be a market unto itself: DisplaySearch suggests that an enormous number of lower-grade Android tablets with inferior screens which were rejected for use in the West are being sold there. They don't, however, seem to show up in the Net Applications numbers - which might imply that though they're being offered, people aren't using them.

A possible confounding element on this stat is that if there are loads of Android tablets out there but people are using apps on them, or email, or watching video, then they would be underrepresented in the figure. This seems unlikely: there doesn't seem any reason why iPad users would be heavier browsers than Android users, especially given the argument that Android tablets can do Flash where the iPad can't (or won't).

Net Applications's numbers for mobile and tablet together seem to back this up: they show the non-desktop share growing since last August from 2.6% to 5% now, which would mirror the increasing number of Android smartphones out there driving browsing. (Consoles remain minimal, and have even fallen slightly - though the total browsing market has probably grown, so consoles' overall use has likely remained roughly constant.) During the same period the iPhone's use has doubled (from 0.7% to 1.4%) compared to both desktop and mobile operating systems; "other" mobile OSs have risen too, from 5.9% to 7%, more than the iPhone - which would also back up increased use on mobile by Android users.

The only sensible conclusion, then, is that Android tablets since aren't getting traction with buyers. For manufacturers, they're easy enough to build; you don't have to be Apple. But the bigger challenge is finding retail outlets that want to sell them, and customers who want to buy them. It seems that "can play Flash" isn't enough of an attraction.

The graph below comes directly from Net Applications: