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Apple 's ( AAPL ) iPad tablet is the hottest-selling electronic device ever, a new report from Bernstein Research shows.

Three million of the tablets were sold in the 80 days after it was released; every quarter, Apple sells roughly 4.5 million iPads. The device is on track to have $9 billion in total sales next year, making it the fourth-largest electronics category all on its own.

"By any account," Bernstein retail analyst Colin McGranahan  said in a note , "the iPad is a runaway success of unprecedented proportions."

Still, the iPad is slated to get new competition in the coming months. Dell ( DELL ) already offers a Google Android-powered mini-tablet called the Streak. It's now available in 5-inch form factor - and a 7-inch model will be released soon. Samsung is planning to release a tablet called the Galaxy Tab sometime during the fourth quarter; it, too, will run Android.

And Research in Motion ( RIMM ) is coming to the party with a BlackBerry OS-powered tablet called the PlayBook.

Whether any of those devices will be as popular as the iPad remains to be seen. For now, it's clear that Apple's product has the tablet market locked up.

By Steve Monfort

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