New research from Strategy Analytics shows that almost 25 million tablet devices were shipped worldwide in the last quarter, with 57% of them running Apple’s iOS and 41% using Android. Microsoft devices - ahead of today’s Windows 8 and Surface tablet launch - had less than a 2% share. Last year during the same period Android only had a 29% market share.
Peter King, Director at Strategy Analytics, said “Global tablet shipments reached 24.7 million units in Q3 2012, rising a sluggish 43% from 17.2 million in Q3 2011. Demand for tablets slowed due to ongoing economic uncertainty and consumers holding off purchases in anticipation of multiple new models, like the iPad Mini, during the upcoming Q4 holiday season. Apple shipped a disappointing 14.0 million iPads worldwide and captured 57% share in the third quarter of 2012, dipping from 64% a year ago. Apple’s slowdown allowed the Android community to make gains and Android’s global share of the tablet market now stands at a record 41%.”
The 43% year-on-year growth rate in tablet shipments is the lowest since Strategy Analytics started tracking current tablet trends in Q2 2010. In Q2 2011, shipments saw a 289% annual increase.
| Tablet OS |
Q3 2012 shipments (million)
|
Q3 2012 market share
|
Q3 2011 shipments (million)
|
Q3 2011 market share
|
| Apple iOS (iPad) |
14.0
|
56.7%
|
11.1
|
64.5%
|
| Android |
10.2
|
41.3%
|
5.0
|
29.2%
|
| Microsoft |
0.4
|
1.6%
|
0.4
|
2.3%
|
| Others |
0.1
|
0.4%
|
0.7
|
4.1%
|
| Total |
24.7
|
|
17.2
|
|
[Reports]