14 DAY TRIAL // An era has succumbed to dust, as shown today by Gartner posting their tablet sales numbers for 2013. The new data shows the iOS platform has finally lost the battle for supremacy with its green robot counterpart.
For the first time, Android tops the list as the most popular platform in tablet usage, outselling Apple’s iPad lineup almost twofold (via TechCrunch).
According to the statistic, out of the total 195 million tablets sold worldwide in 2013, 62% were Android models (121 million models), while Apple grabbed 36% with 70 million sold iPads.
Taking a step back in time one year before, we find Apple was leading the tablet race, by snatching 53% with 61 million units sold, while Android only managed to lift 46% with 53 million tablets sold.
Moving on, Microsoft managed to snatch a modest 2.1% of total tablet purchases, which is a little odd considering the growing number of Windows slates being pushed on the market, these days.
“In 2013, tablets became a mainstream phenomenon, with a vast choice of Android-based tablets being within the budget of mainstream consumers while still offering adequate specifications,” explains Gartner.
“As the Android tablet market becomes highly commoditised, in 2014, it will be critical for vendors to focus on device experience and meaningful technology and ecosystem value — beyond just hardware and cost — to ensure brand loyalty and improved margins.”
In 2013, low-end, smaller screen tablets were the ones pushing sales forward, although this trend is expected to come to an end, as more and more phablets are being pushed out on the market.
Interestingly enough, companies that pioneered the small-sized tablet category like Amazon didn’t fair out so well. The retail giant saw its market place decline from 6.6% in 2012 to 4.8%.
Anyway, it should be noted that Android managed to overthrow Apple because the platform is widely spread and used by different brand-vendors. But when it comes to boil things down to individual companies, Apple still rules supreme with 36%.
Samsung comes in at number two, with 19%, which is still pretty far off from the top position, but the Korean tech giant hopes to fix the situation and take the crown by 2015. The plan seems doable, especially since Sammy achieved quite a leap compared to last year, when it had only 7% of global marketshare.
Other brand vendors that were mentioned by Gartner were ASUS, Amazon and Lenovo with 5.6%, 4.8% and 3.3% market share, respectively.
It’s worth mentioning that Lenovo apparently grew with a massive 198% compared to last year and most of the increase can be attributed to its three-modal Yoga tablet, that has just received a refresh, in the form of a better processor and HD screen.