Android Tablets Eating into iPad Market Share

While Apple has always sat on top of the ladder when it comes to tablet computing, a recently released report states that a growing number of companies and individuals are making the switch over to the Google Android operating system platform.

The report, published by research firm Strategy Analytics on October 21st, determined that in the third quarter of this year, Android tablets accounted for 27% of global sales, jumping from 2.3% a year earlier, while the iPad’s share fell to 67% from 96%.

According to Strategy Analytics, companies such as Samsung and Acer Inc. are counting on Android to help dent Apple’s dominance in the surging tablet market.

The firm added that competition between Android tablets and the iPad may further intensify once Amazon launches the Kindle Fire.

“Amazon’s strategy of minimizing its hardware price is set to ignite the entry-level tablet segment and attract more mass- market consumers,” Neil Mawston, a London-based director for the research company, said in the statement.

Earlier this year, Strategy Analytics predicted that Amazon would sell more than 15 million units of the Kindle Fire – a 7-inch Android-based tablet the e-commerce giant will begin selling Nov. 15 for $199 – by the end of 2013.

Given Amazon’s clear penchant to challenge Apple in media sales, if the Kindle Fire sells well this holiday season it’s likely the company will announce its actual Kindle Fire sales to tout its success.

Between each other, Android and iOS account for 93.5 per cent of the tablet market, which Strategy Analytics said amounted to 16.7 million units in the third quarter, more than tripling from 4.4 million a year earlier.

via Bloomberg
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