ABI Research: Android taking over the tablet market from iOS

According to ABI Research, there has been a change in the global tablet market. The Apple iPad, which has been credited with creating the tablet category with the launch of the OG version in 2010, has "passed the baton to the Android ecosystem," according to the research firm. And there are three reasons why this seems to be the case.

ABI points out that for the first time ever, the second quarter of 2013 saw Android slates out sell the Apple iPad with 14.5 million iOS flavored slabs rung up in the three month period, compared to 30.5 million Android tablets sold in the same period. Secondly, those companies manufacturing Android tablets captured a majority of the revenue for the first time, although it was by the thinnest of margins. Of the $12.7 billion of revenue that was generated by tablet sales in Q2, the Apple iPad was responsible for slightly less than 50% of that figure. Consider the small share for Windows RT and Windows Pro tablets, and the figures show Android slabs now leading the way with more than half of the world's tablet sales by revenue.

Finally, the Apple iPad's average price has dropped 17% over the last year. At the same time, the average price for an Android tablet has risen by 17%. As the iPad's once premium selling price drops back and approaches the price being charged for Android tablets, ABI believes that this indicates that the iPad is losing its position at the top.

But ABI's Jeff Orr, Senior Practice Director, believes that the drop in price for the iPad could be due to more demand for the 7.9 inch Apple iPad mini. The iPad mini represented 60% of the number of iPad units sold in Q2 and made up 49% of iPad revenue. Looking at the decline in the average selling price of the iPad from this view would seem to indicate that the drop in the average sales price of the iPad was not related to a loss of the tablet's popularity but merely represented the public's demand for tablets with a smaller-screen.

And while Android appears to be making headway against Apple and the iPad, the truth is that Apple remains the top selling tablet brand by a huge margin. While Apple sold the aforementioned 14.5 million tablets from April through June, Samsung was the closest competitor to the Cupertino based manufacturer with 8.1 million tablets sold. in the period.

Thanks, Anonymous Tipster!

source: WSCS