Forrester: iPad may be (slightly) more vulnerable in Europe

Sometimes the market-research business can be tough. On the same day that a German court blocked sales of the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 in almost every EU country, a new report from Forrester Research arrives on the scene -- and it says that if Apple competitors want to take on the iPad, Europe might be the right market. Hope they've got a healthy supply of correction fluid!

Forrester predicts that Apple will take over 80 percent of all tablet sales in North America this year. However, the odds are a little better for other manufacturers in Europe, where Apple will "only" claim 70 percent of the market.

That seems kind of a minor distinction to make (Apple is still obviously dominating, at least for this year), but it's true -- other tablet makers will probably have to go for every advantage they can get. In Europe, says Forrester, Apple doesn't quite have the retail presence it enjoys in North America, and the culture (cult?) of Apple isn't quite as engrained as it is this side of the Atlantic Ocean. Combine that with the fact that, according to both customer surveys and past sales, Europe is willing to buy tablets, and other tablet manufacturers may find more fertile ground there.

Who will sell tablets in Europe? Forrester isn't saying who might top the market just yet, but says that price will be a big selling point, meaning low cost producers from Asia and elsewhere have a good chance as well.