Despite sliding almost 30 percent, Apple’s iPad still leads triple-digit growth in tablet demand, finds research released Thursday. Android-based rivals, although growing to 30 percent of tablet sales, still offer only ‘patchy’ alternatives.
Apple shipped 9.3 million iPads during the second quarter, its share of tablet sales falling to 61 percent, down from 94 percent registered during the same period of 2010, according to Strategy Analytics. However, “no Android vendor yet offers a blockbuster model to rival the iPad, and demand for many Android vendors’ products remains patch,” said Director Neil Mawston.
Overall, global tablet shipments reached 15 million units, a 331 percent increase over the second quarter of last year. Android-based tablets from Samsung, Motorola and others led a steep market share increase for the Google software, rising to 30.1 percent of the worldwide market, up from just 2.9 percent in 2010, according to the research firm.
Microsoft led that growth, controlling nearly five percent of the tablet market, up from nothing in 2010. RIM’s QNX-powered PlayBook tablet captured just 3.3 percent of the market after what Strategy Analytics described as a “lackluster launch” hurt by design issues.
The rumored entry of Amazon into the tablet market “will bring fresh excitement and buzz” to Android rivals, however the Kindle maker needs to “deliver a truly standout offering if it really wants to make headway against the popular iPad,” Mawston concludes.
Ed Sutherland is a veteran technology journalist who first heard of Apple when they grew on trees, Yahoo was run out of a Stanford dorm and Google was an unknown upstart. Since then, Sutherland has covered the whole technology landscape, concentrating on tracking the trends and figuring out the finances of large (and small) technology companies.
5 responses to “Android Tablets Are Sloooooooowly Catching Up To iPad”
I believe that report is actually regarding the number of tablets shipped, not the number sold. Apple may only be responsible for 61% of the tablets shipped for the last quarter, but they sold every single one according to Cook.
I wonder how many of those android tablets that also shipped are still sitting on store shelves.
Wait a sec? Are you talking units in the hands of customers, or units shipped into the channel? ‘Cause those are very, very different numbers. I have yet to see a single person with a non-iPad tablet. I am aware that’s anecdotal at best, but I’d like to know if those are sell-in or sell-out numbers.
30%?!!!
30 – not 30% – is a much more realistic number. 30 Android tablets vs 9 million-ish iPads sounds much more accurate.
These articles are written to boost hope for Android tablet lovers. Not that false hope really means an awful lot. Apple needs to step up their iPad manufacturing pace and just flood the market with iPads so that consumers won’t even consider buying a non-Apple iPad. Since most of the businesses are taking to iPads thanks to consumers preference, non-Apple tablets won’t find any traction in the corporate world either. Apple needs to crush the Android tablet market before it gets started.
Apple fanboy opinion before slight lead in smartphone market share: “market share doesn’t mean shit!!!”
Apple fan boy opinion AFTER slight leaf in smartphone market share: “Yeah Samsung bitches who’s better now?!”