A total of 195,453,004 million units of tablets were sold in 2013, representing a 68 per cent increase over 2012 sales of 116,348,317 million units, a report released by Gartner, the technology market research company has shown.[blockquote right=”pull-right” cite=”Gartner”]Android operating system had the lion share of the market for tablets in 2013, with 120.9 million units sales, representing 61.9 per cent of the market share. Android was followed by Apple’s iOS, with 36 per cent market share. Microsoft had 2.1 per cent while other operating systems shared less than 0.1 per cent.[/blockquote]
Android operating system had the lion share of the market for tablets in 2013, with 120.9 million units sales, representing 61.9 per cent of the market share. Android was followed by Apple’s iOS, with 36 per cent market share. Microsoft had 2.1 per cent while other operating systems shared less than 0.1 per cent.
Roberta Cozza, research director at Gartner says that, “in 2013, tablets became a mainstream phenomenon, with a vast choice of Android-based tablets being within the budget of mainstream consumers while still offering adequate specifications. As the Android tablet market becomes highly commoditized, in 2014, it will be critical for vendors to focus on device experience and meaningful technology and ecosystem value — beyond just hardware and cost — to ensure brand loyalty and improved margins.”
Apple had the largest share of the market for tablets in the year, commanding 36 per cent of the market. It market share dropped by 16.8 per cent compared with 2012. This Gartner says is a result of the market being driven by the improved quality of smaller low-cost tablets from branded vendors’ growth in emerging markets. Samsung commanded 19.1 per cent, ASUS 5.6 per cent, Amazon 4.8 per cent, Lenovo 3.3 per cent and other manufacturers 31 per cent.
