Android OS has captured a 22 per cent share of the tablet market, according to the latest research from Strategy Analytics. Apple is still way out in front with 75 per cent global market share, though that is down from 95 per cent in the previous quarter. Global tablet shipments reached 9.7m units in the fourth quarter of 2010, 120 per cent up on the previous quarter.

“Android tablet volumes experienced 2000 per cent sequential growth and its global marketshare soared to a record 22 per cent in Q4 2010,” says Strategy Analytics director, Neil Mawston. “The Samsung Galaxy Tab was the main driver of Android’s success, as the model was launched in dozens of countries and promoted heavily by Samsung. Tablet makers like Android because of its perceived low cost and an accompanying range of compelling media services, such as YouTube and Google Maps.”

The analyst expects Android to increase its share of the global tablet market during the first half of 2011, as new models, such as the Motorola Xoom, arrive in store. The growing base of tablets will make Android a more attractive platform for media developers in the US and worldwide, the company says. The US was by far the world’s largest tablet market during the quarter.

Earlier this week, Google unveiled Honeycomb (Android 3.0), its dedicated tablet OS. It comes with a System Bar for global status updates and notifications; an Action Bar, to control apps, five customizable homescreens; a ‘Recent Apps’ list to make it easy to jump from one app to another; a redesigned soft keyboard for faster text entry; new connectivity options, including built-in support for Media/Photo Transfer Protocol; and an updated set of standard apps.

There’s more information about Honeycomb here. And more information about the Strategy Analytics report, Global Tablet OS Market Share: Q4 2010, here.