More than 112 million Americans -- one-third of the US adult population -- will own a tablet by 2016 according to a new Forrester Research report released today.

With Apple reportedly set to announce its next-generation iPad, the Forrester report shows no significant Android challenger to Apple's dominance of thetablet market: their latest consumer survey shows Apple with a 73% market share; no other brand has more than a 6% market share. When they asked consumers which brand of tablet they are considering buying, 61% said Apple, while 24% named Amazon.

"Price is becoming a more important factor in tablet choice. But it's not the only factor or even the primary one," writes Forrester Senior Analyst Sarah Rotman Epps. "Forrester's data shows that the top reason consumers don't buy tablets isn't because of price or technology -- it's because they say 'I don't think I need it.' It's about the services -- what you can do with the device, which is why Apple, Amazon, and Barnes & Noble have succeeded in the US where pure hardware plays have failed.

In 2012, disruptive product strategies stand the best chance of winning. Whether it will or not, Forrester Research thinks Apple should launch a smaller, cheaper iPad to ward off competition from Amazon.

They also think Amazon should combat Apple by licensing its platform to other hardware OEMs. And they think OEMs like Lenovo, Toshiba, Samsung, and HTC should abandon pure Android in favor of Windows, at least in the USA.