Tablet Wars Heat Up: Android Gains On Apple iOS

Android-Tablet-A3Marketers have sometimes found it easier to reach consumers on devices running the Android operating system compared with Apple, given the open architecture. Android tablet shipments, led by Samsung and Amazon, rose at the expense of Apple in third-quarter 2012, which saw its share slip notably during the quarter, according to International Data Corp.

Apple slipped from 65.5% market share in 2Q 2012 to 50.4% in 3Q 2012. The remaining top five tablet vendors all gained share during the quarter as a result. Apple shipped 14 million tablets. Most notably, Samsung shipped 5.1 million tablets worldwide in 3Q, up 115% sequentially and 325% compared with the year-ago quarter. Amazon followed with 2.5 million, Asus with 2.4 million, Lenovo with 0.4, and all others 3.3.

Overall, worldwide tablet shipments reached 27.8 million units in Q3 2012, according to IDC. The tablet market grew 49.5% year-over-year in the quarter, and 6.7% during the second quarter of 2012.

Ryan Reith, program manager, IDC's Mobile Device Trackers, believes Samsung's growth to 18.4% of worldwide market share during the quarter represents the first time an Apple competitor has attained this level of share since the original launch of the iPad.

Apple may continue to lose market share to Google, but the company said Monday that it sold more than 3 million iPads in three days since the launch of the new iPad mini, which supports a 7.9-inch Multi-Touch display, FaceTime HD and iSight cameras.

U.S. local mobile ads will account for $5.8 billion in 2016 -- up from $664 million in 2011, according to BIA/Kelsey. The analyst firm estimates marketers spent $2.7 billion for mobile ads this year.

The rising cost of fiber and cable TV will also have an impact on market share, as more consumers opt in to Internet TV,  running on Android's Google TV, and Windows' Xbox 360, while ditching Verizon FiOS and AT&T U-verse. Both consoles have access to the Internet and publishers' sites streaming TV show content. Both support apps allowing consumers to control their respective TV devices with tablets and smartphones.

1 comment about "Tablet Wars Heat Up: Android Gains On Apple iOS".
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  1. David Briggs from NEO3DO, November 6, 2012 at 12:30 p.m.

    Android has the clear advantage of being OPEN that is how devices like the NEO3DO have come about. Under 300 dollar full autostereoscopic glasses free 3D tablet at the 8" size.. Apple would not be able to do this. Check it out at wvw neo3do dot com

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