With the surge in affordable Android tablets hitting the markets, Google OS based devices have gained traction over the expensive Apple iOS based iPads.
Once touted as the tablet revolution pioneer, Apple has now become a pale shadow of its former glory. In the recently released IDC (International Data Corporation) global tablet OS market-share report, Apple's iOS tablet adoption has seen a drop of 10 percent compared to last year, while arch-rival Android has increased its share to 60.8 percent, up 8.2 percent from 2012.
IDC said that Microsoft's Windows 8 OS market share, driven by tablets (Surface, Lumia and others) and 2-in-1 devices from OEM (Original Equipment manufacturers) partners - Dell, HP and Lenovo, are further expected to dent Apple's prospect in a few years.
Windows OS, which is placed third in the chart, holds a market share of 3.4-percent and is predicted to reach 10.2 percent by 2017. The other top two OS rivals - Android and iOS, will see a slight dip in their share in the near future.
Global tablet OS market share, 2012-2017:
|
Tablet OS |
2012 Market Share |
2013 Market Share (forecast) |
2017 Market Share (forecast) |
|
Android |
52.0% |
60.8% |
58.8% |
|
Apple iOS |
45.6% |
35.0% |
30.6% |
|
Windows |
0.9% |
3.4% |
10.2% |
|
Other |
1.4% |
0.8% |
0.4% |
|
Total |
100.0% |
100.0% |
100.0% |
While summing up the report, IDC cautions that affordable mini tablet's (7.0-inch models) which are currently cannibalising PC market will eventually see a drop in sales with the rise of the new segment - phablet (a hybrid of smartphone and mini tablets) in emerging markets as well as saturation of tablet penetration in developed regions like the US. On the bright side, big tablets (9.7-inch plus size) are expected take this niche business forward.
