Despite Monster Quarter From Apple; Android Tablets Gain Ground on iPads

[dgstorm]

If you follow tech-news at all, and even if you aren't a fan of the company, you probably heard yesterday how Apple had a ridiculously good financial (as in... shattered a ton of records) earnings call from last quarter. While this is undoubtedly great news for Apple, the marketing research firm, Strategy Analytics, found some other numbers that could spell bad news for Apple in the future. Apparently, Android tablets have gained some additional ground at the expense of Apple's iPad products. While Apple still holds the lead with the iPad and iPad 2 at 57.6% of the global market, this is actually a drop from the same quarter last year where they had 68.2% of the world market. During this same quarter, Android tablets jumped up 10 percentage points to 39.1% from 29.0% just a year ago, and global Android tablet shipments tripled annually to 10.5 Million units.

Despite Apple's great quarter it must be disheartening to see their market-share eroding in an industry that they effectively pioneered/jump-started. Still, even Strategy Analytics cautioned that it is too early to rely on these numbers too much as a sign of things to come. Here is a quote from Neil Mawston, Executive Director at Strategy Analytics,

Dozens of Android models distributed across multiple countries by numerous brands such as Amazon, Samsung, Asus and others have been driving volumes. Android is so far proving relatively popular with tablet manufacturers despite nagging concerns about fragmentation of Android’s operating system, user-interface and app store ecosystem.

And Peter King, Director at Strategy Analytics, had this to say,

Apple shrugged off the much-hyped threat from entry-level Android models this quarter.”

What are your predictions on the tablet wars for this year? Will Android be able to overtake Apple, or will it take until 2013 to pull that off?

Source: AndroidTablets.net via SlashGear

 

[metalspring]

Despite Apple's great quarter it must be disheartening to see their market-share eroding in an industry that they effectively pioneered/jump-started.

hmm sounds like deja vu...didnt apple effectively make the first successful personal computers too? well look what happened to that

 

[kodiak799]

More choices/competition often creates new demand for a growing segment, so there was simply no way Apple was going to continue to have 80-90% of the market. I'll be surprised if they're able to hang-on to 50%, and right now they aren't hitting all price points like they do with the older models of IPhone.

Plus, IPad2 has been out for months whereas several prominent Android tablets launched late Q3/Q4. It will be interesting to see how this goes as I struggle to imagine people buying a new tablet every 18-24months like they do with phones. Of course, in 2-yrs time we will probably have bundled options like the Padfone. I think it's inevitable tablets will eventually be sold as smartphone accessories. Not that they won't be able to stand alone, but the future is laptop/tablet shells that will be upgraded when you upgrade your phone. Added capacity and competition in the carrier space might make a tethered or docked tablet a very affordable reality.

 

[jroc]

Its kinda funny... some folks said what happened with the phones were never gonna happen with the tablets.

De Ja Vue indeed so far.

I think we well keep seeing a see saw effect like whats starting to happen with the phones now. As long as Android and the hardware keeps getting better n better. I cant see Microsoft and RIM lasting much longer. Either they will combine or they will start collaborating with one of the others thats on top.