Strategy Analytics: iOS leads tablet market, Windows jumps to 7.5% share

Jos

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Microsoft made a big bet on tablets last year, releasing its own hardware and tailoring Windows 8 / RT for the rising form factor. So how has the company fared so far? According to data from research firm Strategy Analytics, three million Windows-based tablets shipped worldwide in the first quarter of 2013, taking Microsoft from a paltry 1.6% global market share in Q3 2012 to 7.5% in the first quarter of this year.

The report notes that very limited distribution, a shortage of top tier apps, and confusion in the market are all holding back shipments for Microsoft and its partners. Still, that’s a notable gain and it would have equated to an even bigger share of the market were it not for the fact that overall branded tablet shipments also jumped 117% year on year, going from 18.7 million units a year ago to 40.6 million last quarter.

Global Branded Tablet OS Marketshare %

Operating System Q1 2012 Q1 2013
iOS 63.1% 48.2%
Android 34.2% 43.4%
Windows 0.0 7.5%
Others 2.7% 1.0%
Total 100% 100%
Growth Y-o-Y 146% 117%

Apple still dominates the market, but Android is closing in. Whereas one year ago their market share stood at 63.1% and 34.2%, respectively, last quarter the gap got narrower at 48.2% and 43.4%. When adding “white-box” tablets produced by ODMs and sold into the mix, Android’s tablet market actually increases to 52%, as the bulk of the white-box tablets are low budget Android models aimed at a different market than branded tablets.

Strategy Analytics report summary doesn’t include a breakdown by vendor but looking at other sources we can get a pretty good idea about who is making steady progress in the market.

Apple in particular yesterday reported it sold 19.5 million iPad last quarter, up from 11.8 million last year. Meanwhile, Q4 2012 data from IDC suggests Samsung is the leading Android tablet vendor with 7.9 million tablets shipped, followed by Amazon and Asus at 6 million and 3.1 million each.

Global Branded Tablet OS Shipments (Millions of Units)

Operating System Q1 2012 Q1 2013
iOS 11.8 19.5
Android 6.4 17.6
Windows 0.0 3.0
Others 0.5 0.4
Total 18.7 40.6

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Apple still dominates the market

Well that's funny, because if Apple iOS holds 48.2% of the global market in Q1 of 2013 (Whilst displaying a rapid decline of global market share since Q1 of 2012) we can conclude the fact that non-iOS based tablets hold 51.8% of the global market, and climbing. [CENTER][/CENTER]

Now let's look at the definition of "Dominate"
[FONT=verdana][FONT=Arial Unicode MS]dom·I·nate[/FONT]

[FONT=Verdana][[/FONT][FONT=Verdana]dom-[FONT=Georgia]uh[/FONT]-neyt[/FONT][FONT=Verdana]][/FONT] [FONT=Verdana]Show IPA[/FONT] [FONT=Verdana]verb, [/FONT]dom·I·nat·ed, dom·I·nat·ing.[/FONT]

[FONT=Verdana]verb (used with object)[/FONT]
[LEFT][FONT=Verdana]1.[/FONT][/LEFT]
[FONT=verdana]to rule over; govern; control.[/FONT]
[FONT=verdana] [/FONT]
[FONT=verdana]To what, I say? The estimated global market "Dominance" is estimated to only slow down once it has hit the 20% of global market area. In which I'm sure, Apple fans will still be crying foul over anything that says otherwise.[/FONT]
 
iOS has stopped innovating, sure the end users are not silly picking Androids where all the freshness is. Apple basically is about to repeat the Blackberry story.
 
I like my iPad and all, but iOS is just stale. Android has more freedom. The only good tablet on the market at the moment is the Sony Xperia Tablet Z.
 
Like I've said many times before, I wouldn't trade my Surface for any other tablet, regardless of app availability or popularity. It's a tablet work horse, not just an expensive toy. People are slowly realizing this with the new Windows machines, and teens are slobbering all over themselves for Surfaces.
 
Like I've said many times before, I wouldn't trade my Surface for any other tablet, regardless of app availability or popularity. It's a tablet work horse, not just an expensive toy. People are slowly realizing this with the new Windows machines, and teens are slobbering all over themselves for Surfaces.
Yeah, teens think Apple isnt cool anymore. Do you use the Surface Pro?
 
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