The iPad’s market share has fallen dramatically over the last year, but is still above 50%, according to a new survey by the Pew Research Center’s Project for Excellence in Journalism. Here are a few of the striking numbers from the survey:

– The iPad’s share among tablet owners has dropped from 81% down to 52%, and the survey notes that the success of smaller, lower-priced tablets is likely a major reason for the iPad’s lesser share.

The growth in tablet adoption is likely related to the advent of the lower-priced tablets in late 2011. Overall, about two-thirds of tablet-owning adults, 68%, got their tablet in the last year, including 32% in 2012 alone. That has lessened Apple’s dominance in the market.

– 25% of all US adults now have a tablet computer.

That’s impressive that 1/4 of US adults now own a device in a category that didn’t exist less than three years ago.

I’m not surprised the iPad’s share of tablet owners has dropped, but I do find it surprising that it’s all the way down to 52% if this survey is accurate. I still find that when I’m out in public places 90% or more of the tablets I see are iPads.

Of course there’s a little device that’s said to be in the works in Cupertino that just might have some impact on these numbers in future.