iPad's Market Share Drops, Android Continues Dominance

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Google's platform is running on the majority of tablets.

Although the iPad remains the worldwide tablet market leader, its share decreased for the second consecutive quarter due to Android's continued dominance through a number of tablets and manufacturers.

Apple shipped 22.9 million iPad units worldwide during the fourth quarter of 2012, which was predominately spearheaded by the iPad Mini and the iPad 4. According to IDC's Worldwide Quarterly Tablet Tracker, the shipments figure represents a 48.1 percent increase in shipments when compared to Q4 2011.

However, Apple's share of the global tablet market decreased once again during Q4 2012. It settled for a share of 43.6 percent, a decrease from 46.4 percent in the third quarter and 51.7 percent in 2011.

Following the iPhone maker, its chief competitor Samsung shipped nearly 8 million Android and Windows 8 tablets combined. From 7.3 percent, the firm's tablet market share increased to 15.1 percent, a 263 percent jump.

Amazon shipped more than 6 million Kindle tablets last quarter, an increase of 26.8 percent from the same quarter in 2011. Its market share, however, decreased to 11.5 percent from 15.9 percent. The online retailer's Kindle Fire accounts for 37 percent of the U.S. Android tablet market.

Asus settled for fourth place due to the strong demand for Google's Nexus 7 tablet. Following the PC manufacturer is Barnes & Noble, which shipped almost a million Nook tablets, although both its shipments and market share dropped. Microsoft, meanwhile, failed to make it to the top five after shipping just under 900,000 Surface RT tablets.

"Reaction to the company's Surface with Windows RT tablet was muted at best," said IDC program manager Ryan Reith. "We believe that Microsoft and its partners need to quickly adjust to the market realities of smaller screens and lower prices. In the long run, consumers may grow to believe that high-end computing tablets with desktop operating systems are worth a higher premium than other tablets, but until then ASPs (average selling prices) on Windows 8 and Windows RT devices need to come down to drive higher volumes."

Fourth-quarter tablet shipments reached 52.5 million, a 74.3 percent increase from the third quarter and a 75.3 percent jump when compared to 2011's fourth quarter. IDC said lower selling prices, a variety of new tablets and record holiday spending contributed to the increases in sales. During 2013, tablet shipments are expected to exceed 240 million.

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Zak Islam
16 Comments Comment from the forums
  • killerclick
    High-end computing tablets with desktop operating systems are not worth a higher premium than other tablets. In fact, a desktop OS has no business on a tablet, and a tablet UI has no place on a desktop. From the users' point of view, a user interface is the OS.

    Microsoft wants to push their entire Windows user base into their app walled garden, and they do not care how we'd prefer to use our computers. The only way to stop this is to not buy anything infected with Metro. Looking at Windows 8 and WP8 market share, the market is responding exactly in this way.
    Reply
  • Gundam288
    killerclickHigh-end computing tablets with desktop operating systems are not worth a higher premium than other tablets. In fact, a desktop OS has no business on a tablet, and a tablet UI has no place on a desktop. Microsoft wants to push their entire Windows user base into their app walled garden, and they do not care how we'd prefer to use our computers. The only way to stop this is to not buy anything infected with Metro. Looking at Windows 8 and WP8 market share, the market is responding exactly in this way.
    that + corps are buying up win7 because this is around the time to replace XP for some of them or out of fear of what the future holds in windows.

    I might snag another copy of Win7 for my laptop while they are still selling them.

    I'm not looking forward to Windows 9 if MS keeps going down this path of "wall them in and charge'em". Too much, too soon for the metro UI (IMO).
    Reply
  • madjimms
    Linus is having a party I bet.
    Reply
  • twoheart77
    I like having the library of applications available to me in the x86 arena on my tablet thank you. I have an android tablet for messing around, however my windows tablet is where its at for productivity. As a programmer and web dev, this may be the driving factor for me owning a windows tablet, people who use it for other purposes I can see your argument about how windows may not be the best os on their tablet. Makes me wonder though, when I apply for a position as web dev or programer in my city, there is well over 10,000 applicants per position. Making me wonder why there is a need for mundane simplified OS's at all.
    Reply
  • wildkitten
    killerclickHigh-end computing tablets with desktop operating systems are not worth a higher premium than other tablets. In fact, a desktop OS has no business on a tablet, and a tablet UI has no place on a desktop. From the users' point of view, a user interface is the OS.Microsoft wants to push their entire Windows user base into their app walled garden, and they do not care how we'd prefer to use our computers. The only way to stop this is to not buy anything infected with Metro. Looking at Windows 8 and WP8 market share, the market is responding exactly in this way.The only walled garden is with Windows RT, not Windows 8 desktop, and that is because it runs on an ARM chip.

    Microsoft has already said they will not make the x86 version be a walled garden and there is reason to believe them because it would be market suicide for Windows.

    The main problem with Windows 8 isn't that it's a bad OS, it seems to be a very good OS with a bad UI. If they added back in the Start button, which it seems as if they will do, and make the desktop the default and allow people the option to go into Metro instead of vice versa the way it is now, Windows 8 would likely see sales skyrocket.
    Reply
  • danwat1234
    For x86, just install Start8 or classicUI and there you go, no Metro
    Reply
  • as the economy continues to worsen, apple need to learn that less and less people will be able to afford their ridiculously priced products, and they need to learn this, because otherwise, their prices and lack of innovation will drive them into the ground
    Reply
  • killerclick
    wildkittenThe only walled garden is with Windows RT, not Windows 8 desktop, and that is because it runs on an ARM chip.Microsoft has already said they will not make the x86 version be a walled garden and there is reason to believe them because it would be market suicide for Windows.
    And why do you think they took the trouble to completely remove the Start Menu and not allow booting straight to desktop? Their plan was always to kill off the desktop completely, with Windows 8 being the interim step. They knew they would lose a good chunk of existing Windows users, but it's totally worth it for them from a financial standpoint. They need only the fanboys who are willing to be locked-in (PC+tablet+mobile), and who are willing to pay for apps and services.

    Now that their product line is collapsing, they might reconsider, or at least postpone their plans to legacy the desktop, but it's possible they'll just double down. It's Ballmer, after all
    Reply
  • keither5150
    wlion can't even use spellcheck. Waht is the wurld coming two.

    8 inch tablet seems to be the right size. However I won't be buying another one until there is more storage available. The storage companies rip people off worst than Apple. How much difference is there in making a 4GB card to 256GB card. The big difference would be packaging costs due to the low volume of the 256GB micro sd card.
    Reply
  • keither5150
    opps worse
    Reply