Telecom Lead India: Apple is continuing to dominate tablet market with 55 percent unit shipment share in the third quarter of 2012.
ABI Research said despite maintaining its lead for 10 straight quarters, competition from tablets powered by Google’s Android OS continues to eat away at Apple’s success. Fifty-five percent is the lowest share Apple has ever had since launching the iPad in 2010.
“With the introduction of a smaller, lower-cost iPad mini, Apple has acknowledged Android’s beachhead of 7-inch-class tablets, though at the same time, it has failed to deliver a knock-out punch through innovation, pricing, and availability during the most critical selling period of the year,” said senior practice director Jeff Orr.
Following Apple in shipment share this past quarter were Samsung, Amazon, and ASUS. The iPad mini has caused demand for standard iPad models to shift down-market. Limited availability of iPad mini could be the saving grace as end-of-year buying ramps.
Nearly 14 percent share was given up in the quarter to several benefactors, including Amazon, Google, and Samsung.
Android now powers more than 44 percent of tablet shipments.
“As the OS of choice for the majority of device OEMs, we expect the Android ecosystem to continue growing in numbers – new manufacturers, better device choices for reaching more markets, and more developers finding value from apps and content,” Orr added.
