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: SlashGear

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[jimbo7630]

You can get away with eyewatering prices while you are the only game in town. Apple is no longer in that position.

[geckoT2C]

if apple outsold android devices 3 to 2 in q4, how is can Android be eating in on its market share? If anything it means that Apple market share is growing faster than Android's, no?

[profmad32]

Android still erodes Apple market on 2013 and becomes the winner on 2015

[jimbo7630]

Android still erodes Apple market on 2013 and becomes the winner on 2015

I think that's a pretty safe bet!