Sarah Rotman Epps, consumer product strategy analyst for Forrester Research, says the lack of viable tablet operating systems is one of the biggest reasons for the slow rollout of iPad competitors, according to a "Wireless Week" report (http://macosg.me/2/pz).

“iOS is unique in that it scales down to smartphones and up to tablets, but there’s no other OS that’s uniquely suited to tablets,” she says, adding that the latest release of Android, which makes it slightly more tablet-friendly, just came out for developers within the past few weeks.

However, while lack of operating systems in the game may be part of the problem, Jeff Orr of ABI Research told "Wireless Week" he thinks it’s more than that. A recession, combined with "Apple’s bucking of the traditional rollout schedule, left many prospective tablet makers in a holding pattern," he says. 

The second reason Orr cites for a lack of tablets is Apple managed to throw everyone off with its unorthodox launch and ship cycle for the iPad. Orr told "Wireless Week" that companies typically stick to a fall launch with spring refresh.

“I think partly it’s a response to Apple putting an offering out there in January that starts shipping in April, and there was some interest in being able to watch and see what they did and use that as a benchmark,” Orr says.