Following early flops by the BlackBerry PlayBook, the HP TouchPad, and Android tablets, and the virtual monopoly by Apple's iPad, experts used to claim: consumers don't want tablets, they want iPads. But based on the trend, Apple appears to be losing its dominance in the tablet category. From shipping 81% of the tablets in 2011, the iPad only has a 52% market share this year, according to data collected by Pew Internet & American Life Project. Android tablets have hiked their market share this year to 48%, with the Amazon Kindle Fire accounting for 21%. With budget tablets like the Kindle Fire and the Google/Asus Nexus 7 gaining ground, Apple is said to be working on an iPad mini, a 7.85-inch version and cheaper version of the 9.7-inch iPad, in order to regain its market share.
What Else You Need To Know
- The iPad mini, which is rumored for an October launch, is not expected to have the same specs as the high-end iPad 3, which has a 2048 x 1536 Retina resolution display and sold starting at $499.
- The Pew Internet study doesn't include the Nexus 7 (which was launched in July and the top Android tablet in the the last three months) and the second generation Kindle Fire HD tablets.
- The iPad accounts for a 98.1% of all tablet web traffic on sites running the Onswipe platform, clearly showing that iPad users are the most engaged in browsing on their tablets.
Other sources
Once numbers are published reflecting the seemingly popular Nexus 7 and Kindle Fire HD tabs, these numbers are sure to change a wee bit.- Tim-o-tato, Droid Life
Such figures and proportions may be the exact reason why Apple is rumored to be hurrying to launch the iPad mini this year, or better said in the following weeks.- Radu Iorga, Tablet News
- Other
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Almost 100% of Tablet-based Web Browsing on iPad
In terms of operating systems, Apple’s iOS also dominates with 75% of total mobile content consumption across Onswipe’s monitored network, with Android coming in second at 22.3% and all others in a distant third with 2.5%.
- TabletPC Review
- Apple iPad: The Tablet of Choice for Web Browsing
- Into Mobile
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Pew Research: Android Up to 48% of U.S. Tablet Sales, iPad Drops to Low of 52%
Once numbers are published reflecting the seemingly popular Nexus 7 and Kindle Fire HD tabs, these numbers are sure to change a wee bit.
- TN
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iPad Tablet Market Share Goes Down to 52%, Android Tablets Jump to 48%
With a new, cheaper and smaller tablet they will gain one more market segment: 7+ inch slates and possibly add another 10% or 20% to their 52% mentioned above.
- Business Insider
- Apple Can Completely Dominate The Tablet Market With The iPad Mini (AAPL)
- TechnoBuffalo
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This Is Why Apple’s Launching An iPad mini
Though sales may not have suffered, marketshare is clearly slipping. And with tablet adoption growing by leaps and bounds recently, there’s a lot to potentially lose here.