Worldwide sales of tablet computers will almost double to 118.9 million units this year, compared with 60 million units in 2011, according to a report today from Gartner Inc. (IT)

Apple Inc. (AAPL) will continue to dominate the global market, with a 61.4 percent share in 2012, even with the arrival of rival devices from Microsoft Corp. and Amazon.com Inc. (AMZN), according to the report. Tablets running Google Inc.’s Android operating system will have a 31.9 percent share, while those powered by Microsoft’s Windows 8 will account for 4.1 percent of the market, Gartner forecast.

By 2015, about 35 percent of tablet sales will be for business use, though most of those purchases will still be made by consumers rather than by corporations, Gartner said.

To contact the reporter on this story: Lisa Rapaport in New York at lrapaport1@bloomberg.net

To contact the editor responsible for this story: Lisa Rapaport at lrapaport1@bloomberg.net