Report: Android Tablets Chipping Away at Apple’s Worldwide Market Share As They Grab 30%

posted on Jul 21st 2011 by Quentyn Kennemer

This is the first report we’ve heard of this nature, but it’s worth talking about anyway. According to Strategy Analytics, Android now owns 30% of worldwide market share for tablets with Apple sliding on down to around 61%. By contrast, in Q2 of last year, Apple had a strangle hold on the market with 94% and Android accounted for a measly 2.9%, understandable considering not even the original Galaxy Tab was out back then. Excuse me if I sound a bit surprised, but with all of the silly fear-mongering for Android tablets in recent months I was made to believe that Android was irrelevant in the tablet space. Of course, we must consider that one report from one research firm is not the end all be all of statistics, but we have a feeling similar reports will soon follow. [BGR]

About The Author
Quentyn Kennemer is a Contributing Editor for Phandroid.com and has posted 7427 articles. Connect with him on G+.

https://www.facebook.com/philipphilipphiliphilipphilip Philip Warren

this is because of the hundreds of different ones you can buy
- William Ma
  
  Agreed. Especially with that Staples $100 off any tablet coupon will definitely boost Android’s dominance in the tablet market.
  ~$299 (before taxes) for a Iconia and Transformer… impossible to beat!
  - Juan Carlos Contreras
    
    Right! I called two of the closest Staples, one near my work and one near my house. Both had sold out of the Samsung 10.1 TAB 16 and 32gb! I asked one of store reps how many they had before selling out…10 of each he said. Now after watching Lenovo new tablet unboxing, I want the Think-pad with digital pen!
- Alm0s
  
  Hundreds of what? There are like 4 or 5 Android tablets on the market right now that can be considered a worthy rival of the iPad 2…
  - lynyrd65
    
    True, but I’m sure half of that 30% world marketshare comes from cheap Chinese tablets being used by poorer countries and myself. :)
    - Alm0s
      
      I’m not so sure about that. I would really like to see some statistics on this. I just don’t see any real use to a cheap Froyo tablet when you have a good phone, so I don’t think people buy this stuff in large numbers..
  - http://twitter.com/mytabletsplus mytabletsplus
    
    Actually, there’s a bit more than just 4 or 5 out there. http://tinyurl.com/3k9hld6
    - Alm0s
      
      I only consider Honeycomb tablets to be a “worthy rival”. Certainly not those Archos stuff, or the Dell Streak, or the original Tab… So we are left with 6 real tablets on that list.
Dwayne McDougle

I hope that this is actually true. Not so much for taking the share away from Apple, but for the developers of the apps. There has got to be some incentive for them to start making more apps for tabs on android
King_James_The_Wicked

By this time next year the two numbers will be switched. There are so many options for consumers to pick from to not pick Android over the 1 and only Ipad. This is the main reason Android has taken over the Smartphone market. Choice is hard to beat… Android can allow hardware to get better and better and makes competition.
Alm0s

I’m actually surprised too. I thought Android tablets weren’t doing great at all, but this kind of growth seems promising.
http://pulse.yahoo.com/_CYQUMMC7Z4UBLSHQAJGNJBKVPM JamesS

Great! A whole new frontier for Apple lawyers to go after.

Not a threat = they don’t care

What? They’re chipping away at our share? = set loose the lawyers
- jroc74
  
  LMAO!! You might be absolutely right. Although they’re already after Samsung…maybe they saw the writing on the wall….
  
  Didnt some of us say just give it time for the Tablets? All the excuses from pro Apple folks about the tablet market….and this one is amazing:
  
  “No on wants an Android tablet”…
  
  Looks like the same thing that happened with phones is happening with the tablets. All that needed to happen was the better Android tablets having better prices. Moto needs to take notes…
  
  And I dont think its necessarily the real cheap Android tablets causing this. Wasnt there real cheap Android tablets in 2009 and 2010? 2010 saw some decent Android tablets come out. Then this year is halfway over.
  
  Better pricing for the good Android tablets seems to be a good strategy.
ewlung

Take that Apple … !
oomatter

Is the average consumer even aware that these Android tablets are different than iPads? They look similar enough and seem to be able to do just about the same things at first glance. You can get the Android tablets in more stores now and for less money. I’m thinking Apple Marketing is going to have make sure people have a good reason why they only want the iPad.
- blaque_prince
  
  Well I think its fairly obvious when you don’t see iPad anywhere on the display or it says Asus Transformer or Samsung etc. I know the average consumer is rather slow but come on.
  - http://twitter.com/ProfessorTom Tomas Gallucci
    
    Never underestimate people’s stupidity.
soapisclean

I wonder how much it cost Apple to delay the publication of this report until after their earnings call.
samster11

um… maybe I missed a briefing but this statistic is amazing considering we don’t even have any Android Honeycomb tablets officially on sale/advertised/marketed yet in the UK…

The first release I’m led to beleive will be the Galaxy Tab 10.1 in August sometime…..
- http://pulse.yahoo.com/_CYQUMMC7Z4UBLSHQAJGNJBKVPM JamesS
  
  Er, the Asus Transformer launched in the UK first, way earlier this year.
http://twitter.com/dtg295 Jon

I sold my transformer recently because I found that it’s just an expensive toy. Not because Android is but because all tablets are toys. My friends were thinking that meant I was going to buy an iPad 2 but where shocked when I went around and actually bought a laptop instead.
http://twitter.com/mytabletsplus mytabletsplus

So clearly Android has the same strategy for tablets as it has for smartphones: death by a thousand cuts. Remember the army of Android phones compared to the 4 iPhone iterations. Same story, different product type.
- http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=708741524 Robb Nunya
  
  Hey, if it works, go with it.
- http://www.facebook.com/DrAvEnMaJoOr Draven Majoor
  
  its apples own choice to release only a small number of devices and well it seems to biting them in the ass now.
http://twitter.com/anakin78z Jens Zalzala

I’ve always wondered how everyone was reporting horrible sales when so many people I know have one.
- wakkoman
  
  When you surround yourself with Android fanboys, what do you expect?
  - Ryan Brown
    
    Why is this jerk spamming reply’s to everyone’s comments? Does one really have nothing better to do?
wakkoman

If some of you blind fanboys would actually read the link, you would notice they only mention SHIPPED and not SOLD. Also these numbers include e-readers and shit which are not really tablets, but e-readers.

Of course blind fanboys would not see this, well, because they’re blind, and probably busy jerking off to the crappy summary that failed to specify the difference between SHIPPED and SOLD.
- bakdroid
  
  First off, what article are you reading? No where does it discuss shipping vs. sold except in a seperate shipping article that is dated last month that has nothing to do with the current article. Second, do you seriously have nothing better to do then troll android sites and bash them for fanboyism?? The site is called Phandroid….as in Fan of android….get it…its a play on words. Perhaps you pushed your *pod earbuds in too far and scratched your brain. Go back to your skewed Crapple sites.
  - wakkoman
    
    1. I don’t usually bash the summary, but rather the people in the comments. I own a Nexus S so I come here for news about my device, but I find it necessary to put the fanboys in place and make them face reality. You have an issue with that?
    
    2. Do you know how to use Google? Since you probably an Android fanboy, I would assume you do. Use your resources. Here is the Strategy Analytics Chart from their report. HINT: READ THE TOP LINE: http://blog.seattlepi.com/microsoft/files/2011/07/20110721tabletshares.jpg
    
    Your weak attempt at an insult was exactly that. Weak. Get out of your parent’s basement kid and go experience some good ol summer sun. Then focus on getting a job and excelling at something for once.
    - meta96
      
      … thanks for the chart, if these numbers continue, android tablets will outsell iPads sooner than expected
    - bakdroid
      
      HAHA! Entertaining…
      
      I actually don’t disagree with you about some fanboys on both sides go way overboard. But we are all fanboys in some way shape or form. Otherwise we would just get our news from CNN or other sources.
      
      I seriously don’t see this in the BGR post but I really don’t care that much. However, do you really think that every fanboy lives in their parents basement?? While I am sure some do, I do not. Maybe you do since you seem to have some experience with this. You need to seiously lighten up man, or woman….
      - wakkoman
        
        What kind of response is that? I gave you the chart from the actual report that BGR is posting on their blog. Now you don’t care that much? This is the problem I have especially with Android fanboys. They love to quote stats and numbers to help them feel less insecure about their choice of device, but when it goes against what they believe, they “don’t care”
        
        Most of the nerd programmers that use Android do live in their parents basement. Unfortunately for you, you are wrong again. I don’t live in their basement. But I do own a business that makes more than you will in the next 10 years.
      - miso_sori
        
        Quit trying to sound tough. For someone who seems to be so stringent about facts you sure do make a lot of ridiculous generalizations and your ad hominem attacks do nothing to help your case. You don’t know how much money anybody here makes so quit trying to be hard and stick to your facts.
      - bakdroid
        
        Wow…sensitive. Ok, you found the chart that proves me wrong. Fine, I am wrong and I am glad you corrected me. I am sure that is what you are waiting to hear since you are an owner and only care about lip service. I don’t work for any of the companies nor have stock in them so I seriously don’t care whether they were sold or shipped. If that is what the numbers are based on then fine, moving on.
        
        Big man flashing his wallet. What is that supposed to make me jealous or something? I am a manager and engineer and I am young still, I am pretty sure I will survive. But don’t worry, myself and all the other middle class will have no problem supporting you so that you can continue to expand your wallet…
    - Guest
      
      You defend Apple way too feverishly for anyone to believe you are not a Jobs nut swinger. But just like with smartphones, Android will dominate in tablets as well. That is guaranteed. So you can twist and spin the results as much as you want. I’ll just sit back and chuckle.
      - wakkoman
        
        I defend iOS in areas it is better and I defend Android in areas it is better. Most people that talk down on either platform have never had experience with it.
        
        You guarantee that? You should go place a bet in Vegas if you think so. Or maybe buy some stocks of some of the companies putting out Android tablets.
        
        You probably won’t back up your “guarantee” with even a $1,000 bet/investment.
      - Guest
        
        The only time I ever see you in here is when you are rushing to Apple’s defense. So don’t pretend to be neutral. You do come off like a butt-hurt Apple fanboy. Yeah you are entitled to your opinion but you seem annoyed that so many on this site have a different view – some very strong. It’s no secret this site caters to people who prefer Android. I’m not sure why that is so hard for you to grasp. And it’s not like Apple isn’t liked. They are the media darling, and could do no wrong. Look at CNN’s tech site – all nut swingers. It’s as if they’re an extension of Apple.com. BGR, Appleinsider,MacRumors, Zdnet, – all lick Apple’s butt. Android, even with its popularity is the outcast.
        
        Now back to the tablet discussion and why I said what I said. It’s simple, if you remember what was shouted when Android first came on the scene you’ll see the thought process was no different – it was going to fail against the iPhone – because:
        -it wasn’t polished
        -no apps
        -too hard
        -jittery –
        Blah, blah, blah……….
        
        Now it’s all over the place and an extremely strong competitor. So much so that Apple had to ‘borrow’ some features in its latest OS.
        Soooooooo……..what makes you think the tablets will be any different? It’s not like it’s an all new OS that people have to relearn. Those familiar with Android on their phones will have little issues with Honeycomb. I see it as inevitable – especially when the prices of tablets are eventually forced downward – similar to what’s happening with the smartphones. They are going to cover the low end as well as the high.
        
        Don’t get me wrong, the iPad is going nowhere – but it’s not going to continue to dominate the market like it’s doing now.
- DannyB2
  
  wakkoman,
  Clearly Android is behind Apple market share at this point.
  
  Check back with me in a year from now.
  
  Remember, once the iPhone also had no significant competition. Then the first Android handsets got a tiny bit of traction. It went slowly, but it kept picking up steam.
  
  Android will win for one reason: It is open.
  
  Open for any phone manufacturer can license it. There are a lot of them. What? You think only Apple has the God given right to make awesome phones?
  
  Open to any wireless network operator to sell.
  
  Open to any third party developer to write apps.
  
  Open to any third party to develop accessories. (At Google IO 2011, when they introduced the Android Accessory kit, they said: It’s open. 1. No Registration. 2. No fees. 3. No NDAs.)
  
  Apple. Closed. One phone manufacturer. Limited wireless networks. High hurdles for third party app developers. Don’t even try to develop an accessory without paying the piper and signing away your firstborn child.
  
  It’s fine for you to support Apple. Go ahead. I’m confident Android will win for rational reasons. I’m patient. It will happen. It is inevitable.
  - wakkoman
    
    Being “open” (which it really isn’t completely open as most of you want to think it is.. ie how they’re treating the Honeycomb source right now) might end up earning a platform a larger market share, but that doesn’t guarantee the best user experience.
    
    Fragmentation is a huge problem whether you want to admit it or not, and Google hasn’t really done anything to combat it. They announced at IO that they have this plan and all these carriers aboard to release updates for a certain period of time, yet when they were pressed to talk more about it, they just said its an idea and has no meat to it.
    
    App quality continues to be inferior to iOS. All the big developers still develop for iOS first and the apps both work and look better. App support is a huge part of how consumers rate their mobile device. The terrible design in most Android apps might not matter to the programmers and developers who only care about rooting/hacking, but to the general consumer, it does. Android has had plenty of time to catch up to iOS in App development, but it still hasn’t unfortunately, and unless something major happens, it will always be 2nd to iOS.
    
    Lastly, Android tablets have been out before the Xoom came out. Theyve been in the market just a few months less than the iPad, yet they still didn’t catch on. Many complain how the iPhone OS and the iPad OS is the same, but it sells. When Samsung tried to do it with the Galaxy tablet, it flopped. Hard.
    - dazweeja
      
      1. Fragmentation has never been a problem for me. the biggest issue seems to be people being upset knowing that someone else has a phone with a newer OS. Almost all apps are made for 2.x phones. Apps like Netflix which only work on some devices are the exception rather than the rule in my experience.
      
      2. Yes, app quality is inferior to iOS. This *will* change as Android cements it’s positon as the biggest market for developers to target. We’re just in a lag period now.
      
      3. Samsung Galaxy Tab (7″) sold 2 million in just three months. That’s a huge success for them and to suggest that it flopped hard is ridiculous.
      
      http://thenextweb.com/mobile/2011/01/28/samsung-ships-2-million-galaxy-tab-devices/
      - wakkoman
        
        Typical blind fanboy response
        
        1. Just because it isn’t a problem for YOU doesn’t mean it’s a problem for everyone else. When you can’t be sure your phone won’t receive timely updates, it IS a problem. Every other mobile device manufacturer makes it a point to add features and upgrade current devices for a decent amount of time. Android has a problem with this for MANY devices
        
        2. You Android fanboys love to show your marketshare numbers. They make you drool and salivate and all your blogs post different reports showing this every week. We’ve all seen the numbers (they are more than iOS) yet for some reason, development IS STILL WAY BEHIND. A “lag period”? LOL what a LONG ASS lag period it’s been. Lame excuse as usual
        
        3. I was referring to the original Galaxy Tablet from last year. The one running Froyo. I’m sorry but it flopped. Also, you just posted an article about Galaxy Tab2 that have been SHIPPED and not SOLD. Typical Android fanboy numbers they like to post to help them feel less insecure about their inferior platform. Just like the article we’re commenting on. SHIPPED DOES NOT EQUAL SOLD.
      - dazweeja
        
        1. Some devices are on Froyo and some are on Gingerbread. What’s the issue? Are there are apps that will only work on Gingerbread? Very few. Is Froyo missing features? Not really. Every Android phone has had multitasking and folders longer than the iphone and most have had WiFi hotspot too.
        
        2. It’s been less than a year. That’s not a long time when you’re talking about developers learning new skills. It’s going to happen. Deal with it.
        
        3. Some basic comprehension skills would have told you that that article was referring to the original Galaxy Tab. Manufacturers measure sales in units shipped for obvious reasons.
    - DannyB2
      
      Fragmentation may or may not be a problem. (PC’s running Windows are “fragmented”.) I won’t really deal with the fragmentation topic here.
      
      Fragmented or not, that will not stop the platform from winning. The openness will guarantee a win.
      
      As for firmware source code not getting released in a timely fashion, that will either fix itself, or sooner or later one of the copyright holders will sue over copyright infringement because the GPL license is being infringed. It’s happened before with other Linux powered devices.
      
      Talk about App quality all you want. Android already has bigger market share in phones and is catching up in tablets.
      
      Sony fanboys also touted that Betamax had better quality. Maybe it did. But it wasn’t open. Everyone else could VHS devices. But Sony would only let Sony make Betamax. Does that sound like Apple vs Android? Or Mac vs Windows? As a once upon a time Mac developer (1984-1998) I can assure you that in the early days the Mac was *vastly* superior. So which desktop OS won? Why was that? Which OS could be licensed by all other hardware manufacturers? Oh yeah, that would be Windows.
      
      Complain all you want about Android tablets having minority market share. The fact it, Android is just getting started and playing catch up. And it will catch up and pass iPad. I’m not saying this to be mean. It’s just inevitable. Because it is OPEN.
      - wakkoman
        
        I don’t have much time, but your whole Windows is fragmented argument is not really an argument. When Microsoft releases a new version of their OS, I can go out and buy it and install it on my computer. If it turns out my computer can’t handle it, I can go out and buy more ram or a better processor. It would only be similar when I would be able to buy the next version of Android and load it on my device. But I CANT DO THAT. I have to buy a completely new device.
        
        “Talk about App quality all you want. Android already has bigger market share in phones and is catching up in tablets.”
        
        What has that larger market share earned us as the end user? If developers have a larger market in Android users vs iOS users, why do they continue to support and develop for iOS first over Android. Why is the quality in Android behind iOS? Do you have answers for this, or is all you care about market share? Google hasn’t even created tablet apps for many of their own things. You want to compare the 200 or so Honeycomb apps to 100,000 iPad designed apps? Really? You think Android is going to catch up at this rate? LOL
        And if all you equate winning with market share and how a company performs in the market, Apple is the largest tech company in the WORLD and might soon be the biggest company in the US. Over Exon fucking Mobile. That should be WINNING by your standard.
        
        And lastly, quantity DOES NOT AND NEVER HAS EQUALED quality. A majority of the time quantity has resulted in lower quality.
      - DannyB2
        
        I agree with you about quality vs. quantity. Remember, once a longtime Mac developer here.
        
        My experience (from people I personally know) is that iPhone fans (I won’t say fanboy here) sometimes appear to feel threatened by Android.
        
        I am an Android fan for several reasons. First, I primarily use and like Linux. I am an open source fan. I want and prefer an open platform, thus Android. I like the wide variety of choices (carriers, handsets) that Android brings. I like the competition it brings, not just to Apple, but competition between wireless networks, and competition between OEMs.
        
        As for your questions. I suspect iOS developers (can’t speak for them because I’m not one) stick with iOS because there currently is good money to be made there. That is also becoming true for Android.
        
        About windows fragmentation I mentioned — it is not the problem it was in the early days.
        
        As for iPad apps vs Honeycomb apps — like I said earlier — just give it time. Check back with me next year.
        
        I’m curious, if you’re not concerned about Android in some way, then why come to an Android forum?
        
        Thanks for your replies.
      - wakkoman
        
        I cant reply to your last post so I will reply here
        
        I don’t feel threatened at all. I read phandroid because I own a Nexus S. I used to have an iPhone and now I have an iPad. I’ve spent significant time with both platforms and I know the strengths and weaknesses of both.
        
        Most of the hating of Apple done on this site, especially in the Comments section, really has no basis and most likely comes from people who have never spent more than a few minutes on an iOS device, if that. Just a lot of misinformed people. I generally feel like Android users like to brag about their choice of phones because it isn’t “Crapple” and for some reason picking a team makes them happy.
      - DannyB2
        
        I think you are right about the hating. But it goes both ways. I see plenty of Apple fans who are fanatical in an almost religious way and cannot admit weaknesses in their platform or with the choices Apple has made or is making.
        
        I don’t feel threatened either. I don’t want iOS to go away because it provides important competition.
        
        I simply believe Android will win, like it or not, for very pragmatic reasons.
        
        You take the bad with the good. :-)
Alex Murphy

This is actually units “shipped,” not “sold,” (and probably includes ebook readers and such) but its still very promising for Android! Can’t wait for Ice Cream Sandwich ;p
Nicholas Falletta

Yeah especially with apps like Hive Player, the music player with scrollable widget support for full music navigation and playback.
hi_hellothere

Is this the result of all those Android tablets coming out, not selling, sitting on the shelf for months, then they are put on clearance so then it looks like the unwanted items are selling? I don’t remember any Android company claiming this much success in selling tablets, most reports from the companies were pretty bad actually. Some android tablets selling is expected but this seems like too much for regularly priced tablets, especially considering the next OS for android tablet is supposed to be light years ahead, I’d guess most people would wait for the next gen of android tablets.
David Gray

SUCK IT APPLE, I’LL SLAP YOU IN THE FACE WITH MY TOSHIBA THRIVE AND MY SHLONG! AAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH
http://pulse.yahoo.com/_YZ32VTTM27DZ536QVW54DYFABY Timothy B

Are they counting the nooks and generic e-readers in this, or only the real tablets?
Mathieu

It doesn’t matter how popular the iPad (or the iPhone) is, it’s only 1 device and Android devices offers much more choices for the consumers.

So, like Android phones overtake iOS phone[s], Android tablets will overtake iOS tablet[s].

Report: Android Tablets Chipping Away at Apple’s Worldwide Market Share As They Grab 30%

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