Android Tablets at 30% Share

[madsquabbles]

remember when apple had a 95% market share on tablets not so long ago? well, look who's closing the gap:

Apple's iOS mobile operating system, which runs its iPad and iPad 2 tablets, iPhones, and other mobile devices, owned 94.3 percent of global tablet OS market a year ago, according to Strategy Analytics. But that figure fell to just 61.3 percent of the worldwide market in the second quarter of 2011, the research firm reported this week.

Google's Android OS was, unsurprisingly, the biggest climber both in terms of global tablet OS units shipped worldwide and tablet OS market share. Android tablets went from 2.9 percent of the worldwide market in the second quarter of 2010 to 30.1 percent in the just-concluded quarter.

http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2388894,00.asp

[kennyminot]

Don't miss this nugget: "the Strategy Analytics report deals with tablets 'shipped,' not 'sold.' How many of these tablets are actually in the hands of customers is an open question." Remember that the original Galaxy Tab also shipped lots of units but the actual sales didn't match expectations.

Also, Apple's still making gobs of money, so they probably don't care.

[kennyc]

Thanks for that.

[kennyc]

Originally Posted by kennyminot

Don't miss this nugget: "the Strategy Analytics report deals with tablets 'shipped,' not 'sold.' How many of these tablets are actually in the hands of customers is an open question." Remember that the original Galaxy Tab also shipped lots of units but the actual sales didn't match expectations.

Also, Apple's still making gobs of money, so they probably don't care.

And don't miss this at the end either:

EDITOR'S NOTE: While the numbers in this story are all accurate (with respect to the study), the original version didn't point out the distinction between tablets sold and tablets shipped. This oversight has been addressed.

[afv011]

Originally Posted by kennyminot

Also, Apple's still making gobs of money, so they probably don't care.

I think they care, and very much. Hence why they are suing everybody else, trying to win it in the courts, not on the shelves.

[OtterBooks]

Originally Posted by afv011

I think they care, and very much. Hence why they are suing everybody else, trying to win it in the courts, not on the shelves.

I think the court stuff is more about the phone market, where Apple actually faces competition.

[RockdaMan]

Originally Posted by OtterBooks

I think the court stuff is more about the phone market, where Apple actually faces competition.

Agreed.

HTC and the rest were very fortunate that Android was there for the using. One can see how difficult developing and building a brand around a mobile OS is by looking at WebOS and at Windows Mobile 7. One can see how difficult it can be to upgrade one by looking at Symbian and at Blackberry.

Still, I expect at least WinMo7 to grow into credible competition for Android and iOS.

[RockdaMan]

Originally Posted by afv011

I think they care, and very much. Hence why they are suing everybody else, trying to win it in the courts, not on the shelves.

Not everyone. Just those who insist on outright copying or stealing.

It's for a judge to decide. The judge and the consumers.

So far both iOS and Android are winning.

[RockdaMan]

Originally Posted by kennyc

And don't miss this at the end either:

EDITOR'S NOTE: While the numbers in this story are all accurate (with respect to the study), the original version didn't point out the distinction between tablets sold and tablets shipped. This oversight has been addressed.

So here is the rewrite:

Some 4.6 million Android-based tablets shipped in this year's second quarter as compared with just around 100,000 in the year-ago quarter, according to Strategy Analytics. That's not exactly shocking, considering that there was scarcely an Android tablet on the market a year ago, while in late 2010 and 2011 several have been released by Motorola, Samsung, Asus, Acer, Toshiba, and others.

Importantly, the Strategy Analytics report deals with tablets "shipped," not "sold." How many of these tablets are actually in the hands of customers is an open question. (Apple, for one, regularly reports on the number of iPads sold; the company recently said it had sold 9.25 million iPads in the last fiscal quarter, for a total of about 29 million to date.)

Apple probably isn't too concerned with the loss of tablet OS market share to Google, Microsoft (4.6 percent year-over-year gain), Research in Motion (3.3 percent year-over-year gain), and others.

After all the tablet OS market as a whole grew a whopping 331 percent in the last year and Apple grew right along with it in terms of unit shipments. Tablet makers shipped 3.5 million in the second quarter of 2010, with Apple easily leading the charge with 3.2 million iPads shipped.

[afv011]

Originally Posted by RockdaMan

So far both iOS and Android are winning.

Honestly, only the lawyers win here. And consumers are the worst off.

[kennyc]

Originally Posted by afv011

Honestly, only the lawyers win here. And consumers are the worst off.

Truth in that, but many companies economic engines are being fueled by intellectual property....without producing anything themselves.

[Marseille]

This is basically the pattern Android handsets took. 1.x was a slow start. the Droid and 2.x kickstarted the platform into the big leagues.

I still haven't found the right tablet for me, but I relieved that not only are there options, but that manufacturers are really trying to develop different tablets. The Transformer and Thrive especially stand out to me. Can't wait to see what Amazon does.

Originally Posted by afv011

Honestly, only the lawyers win here. And consumers are the worst off.

Amen to that. I love IP, don't think we'd be where we are economically without it, but the patent system has been granting patents with all the discernment of a $5 hooker. Patent trolling has been rampant for some time, but right now we're sitting on a precipice as to whether all patent holders will decide to troll, not just a few small extortionists. Up till recently, the big companies have limited their abuses to defensive measures.

[RockdaMan]

Originally Posted by David Marseilles

This is basically the pattern Android handsets took. 1.x was a slow start. the Droid and 2.x kickstarted the platform into the big leagues.

There are compelling reasons to believe that the tablet market will be a fundamentally different thing than the cellular telephone market. Or the PC market, for those that prefer to compare it to the old Windows vs. Macintosh parallel.

as to whether all patent holders will decide to troll

What should a company do is they really, legitimately believe others are profiting from their IP?

[kennyminot]

I don't see how that changes my point. Until we get the actual sales figures, we're still playing a guessing game. Right now, the market is saturated with Android tablets. Here is a list of companies that have recently produced and/or announced one:

1. Sony
2. Toshiba
3. Lenovo
4. ASUS
5. Archos
6. Samsung
7. HTC
8. Dell
9. Acer
10. Amazon
11. Barnes and Noble

I'd say it's pretty obvious that these companies must be shipping lots of tablets. Whether they are actually selling is another matter. Right now, Staples is offering a $100 discount on several of these devices. My guess is that this is due to lagging sales.

Also, my point is that Google is still not making much money off Android. Apple, on the other hand, will retain their status as a manufacturer of class, high-end products, which is part of what keeps giving them record sales.

[kennyc]

Originally Posted by kennyminot

.....Right now, Staples is offering a $100 discount on several of these devices. My guess is that this is due to lagging sales.
.....

Perhaps it is Staples sales or positioning that is behind it, it may have nothing to do with Android industry totals.