According to the latest figures from IDC, the iPad is still the leader in the tablets market, but its market share is falling for the second quarter in a row. Their numbers for the final quarter of 2012 show the tablet market overall growing very nicely, with 52.5 million units shipped – growth of 75% over the previous year.

iPad still holds the biggest market share at 43.6% – but the loss of market share is attributed mostly to two rivals: Samsung who are #2 on the chart with 15.1% market share, and Amazon with 11.5%. The thing is though, the iPad share is based on Apple’s actual reported *sales* of 22.9 million iPads during the quarter. Samsung reports only shipment numbers, which may differ significantly from actual sales. Amazon reports no sales numbers at all – they just come out with statements about how great sales have been for their devices on Amazon and how they’ve set new records.

I’m no brain surgeon, but I’ve got a quick strategic suggestion for Tim Cook and Apple if they want to increase their market share lead again: don’t report any actual, real numbers anymore. Just say “Gosh, we sure sold a whole bunch of iPads last quarter.”