Android tablets will continue to grow and cut into Apple’s worldwide tablet market share according to Research firm IDC’s  2013 forecast for worldwide tablet shipments.

Tablets powered by  Android Operating System will reach to 49 percent of the market in 2013, while iPad’s share will drop to 46 percent. In 2012, Apple commanded 51 percent, compared with Google’s 46 percent.

“One in every two tablets shipped this quarter was below 8 inches in screen size. And in terms of shipments, we expect smaller tablets to continue growing in 2013 and beyond” said Jitesh Ubrani, Research Analyst for IDC’s Tablet Tracker. “Vendors are moving quickly to compete in this space as consumers realize that these small devices are often more ideal than larger tablets for their daily consumption habits.”

“Microsoft’s decision to push two different tablet operating systems, Windows 8 and Windows RT, has yielded poor results in the market so far,” said Tom Mainelli, Research Director, Tablets. “Consumers aren’t buying Windows RT’s value proposition, and long term we think Microsoft and its partners would be better served by focusing their attention on improving Windows 8. Such a focus could drive better share growth in the tablet category down the road.”