The iPad will continue to dominate its rivals until 2014 according to a new report from the research firm Gartner.

Apple's iPad will account for 73.4% of tablet sales worldwide and will hold that market dominance for years to come, said Gartner. Bad news for other tablet makers, the analysts also say that no other platform besides Android will have more than a 5% share of the tablet market during this time.

Apple rivals can take some comfort that Apple's dominance will fall to 46% by 2015 during which time Android and other tablet makers like Microsoft and RIM will gain ground according to research VP Carolina Milanesi.

Milanesi accounts Apple's success to its "superior and unified user experience across its hardware, software and services. ... Apple had the foresight to create this market and, in doing that, planned for it, as far as component supplies such as memory and screen. This allowed Apple to bring the iPad out at a very competitive price and [with] no compromise in experience among the different models that offer storage and connectivity options."

Milanesi suggests that competitors who want to take on the iPad makes should deliver a similar experience or it will be swept away by Apple. Competitors did affect Apple's tablet sales slightly since it fell down from 83% in 2010 to 73.4% in 2011.

Android tablets on the other hand will account for 17.3% of the market this year, with 11 million units shipped. This is a 3% bump from last year's 14.3% of the market share for Android tablets.

However Gartner is lowering Android's forecast from last quarter's projection because the platform has been beset by weak user interface, limited tablet applications and high prices.

The firm is less hopeful about the Windows 8 platform whose success may be limited because of its late arrival to the tablet market. Microsoft will find better opportunities in the enterprise.

As for any competitors who want to take on the seemingly impossible task of overtaking the iPad; manufacturers should focus on matching powerful hardware with intuitive user interface and the user sharing capability to stand any chance for success.