Gartner: Apple iPad Has No Real Rivals Through 2015

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android-idevice

Android-based tablets have become the technology equivalent of Charlie Brown, constantly warning Apple to ‘wait’ll next year’ following disappointing showing after depressing headline. Now research giant Gartner has weighed in on the issue and their advice: keep waiting. Apple’s iPad will be the most popular tablet through 2015, the research firm announced.


By 2015, Apple iPads are expected to sell 148 million of the 326 million tablets sold worldwide, according to Gartner. By comparison, Android-powered tablet sales are expected to number 116 million in four years. “We expect Apple to maintain a market share lead throughout our forecast period by commanding more than 50 percent of the market until 2014,” the company announced Thursday.

While Apple and Android appear to have the No. 1 and No. 2 positions, the research finds Microsoft’s Windows 8 could spur sales of 34 million in 2015. Although Microsoft is expected to go from 0 sales this year to 4.3 million in 2012, the interest in the new OS could wane “if Microsoft’s push to use the new OS across devices comes at a compromise in usability,” Gartner said.

A bit puzzling is Gartner’s belief RIM could see 6 million QNX-powered tablet in 2012 grow to 26 million by 2015. This as demand for the PlayBook appears to be cratering and uncertainty surrounds its new line of BlackBerry smartphones.

What other advice does Gartner have for tablet makers hoping to match the iPad? Focus on screen quality and processor horsepower, two features hardware vendors can’t compromise on. Everything else should fall into the ‘nice to have’ category in order to meet Apple’s lean and mean supply pipeline.

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