Although Apple still has a commanding lead in the tablet market, analysts believe Android tablets will eventually overtake the iPad.

According to Fudzilla, Javelin Strategy & Research found that 42 percent of U.S. tablet owners are already on Android, while 55 percent use iPads. The company puts the total number of tablet owners in the U.S. at 16 million.

The figures are quite surprising, as previous surveys usually indicated at a much wider lead in Apple’s favor. Interestingly, Amazon’s Kindle Fire already has a 10 percent share, while all other Android tablets have 32 percent.

The report also found that a surprising 10 percent of tablets run Windows, while 9 percent are RIM PlayBooks. These figures are a bit strange to say the least, so it might make sense to take them with a grain of salt.

The outfit expects Android tablets will continue to gain share at Apple’s expense until they eventually overtake the iPad, but it is not clear when.