The tablet market appears to be taking a familiar form with Google playing catch up to Apple's first mover advantage; iPad having amassed sales of 2 million following its respective launches on both sides of the Atlantic.

Nonetheless, senior industry figures still believe Google's Android OS can mount a serious challenge to iPad's current dominance, with Nvidia CEO Jen-Hsun Huang claiming the industry can unite around the platform.

"Windows is too big and it's too full featured for smartbooks and tablets," said Huang, claiming that only Android has the flexibility to make the transition to tablet devices.

"The good news is that we finally have an operating system to unite behind. Android is an operating system that has gained a tremendous amount of momentum all over the world."

Same war, different battlefield

Huang believes it's Google's experience chasing down iPhone in the smartphone sector that will help it take on Apple's tablet.

"Android has become the fastest growing mobile operating system in the world and, in fact, it has surpassed the iPhone in terms of growth and in terms of users," Huang added.

"Android started out as a phone but it's not lost on them that the tablet is going to be very important and that the Android operating system has to evolve, and be enhanced in certain capabilities, in order to be a good tablet operating system."

Nvidia, of course, is not without interest in the tablet market itself, with the firm planning to launch its Tegra 2 processor - specifically designed for tablet PCs - later in the year.

As such, Huang believes Nvidia has a vital role to play in aiding Android's challenge to iPad.

"I think we'll have to wait until this fall," Huang said of Tegra 2. "The operating systems are coming together, the devices are coming together."

[source: PC World]