Since the birth of the tablet computers, the iPad has been the king of the market. While there have been many Android (News - Alert) based tablets that have tried to topple the king, there have been very few real challengers. While the iPad has seemed pretty strong at the top of the market, Amazon’s Kindle Fire has recently been released and there are some who feel like Amazon’s tablet could actually be the iPad killer industry insiders have been waiting on for so long.

So, how can Apple (News - Alert) hold onto their massive amount of the market? There are a couple of different ways that the iPad can continue to beat off the Fire and a host of other tablets that will be released in the coming years. One way in which the iPad can hold onto its dominance is by reducing the cost of the iPad. Amazon trotted out their Fire for just $199 per unit, despite the fact that the company is apparently losing money with each Fire sold. That is how dedicated to knocking off the iPad some companies are.

For the money, the iPad is probably the best tablet out there by far, but sooner or later people are going to see a ton of tablets selling for less than $300 and decide they can afford a few less bells and whistles. If the iPad wants to hold onto its market share, Apple may need to drop the price on the original iPad at least. That wouldn’t be an unprecedented move, as Apple has already begun knocking the price off earlier iPhone (News - Alert) versions. Keeping a high price on new iPad models, while discounting the older ones could help.

The other big way Apple can stay on top, is to find a way to continue releasing apps and services that simply blow away the competition. iTunes is an ace in the hole when it comes to matching up with other tablets, but competition is coming for that as well. As long as Apple doesn’t decide to rest on its laurels (something the company doesn’t do much these days anyway) it appears that their customers will stay happy.