14 DAY TRIAL // Microsoft continues to invest a fortune to make Windows tablets more appealing to users worldwide, but according to new statistics, the company is still lagging behind Android and iOS as far as market share is concerned.
Strategy Analytics has released a new report to reveal that in the first quarter of the year, Microsoft operating systems were powering 6 percent of the tablets sold worldwide, which is clearly an impressive mark for Redmond, but still not enough to challenge the two leaders, Google and Apple.
While Apple's iOS dropped to 28 percent, Android continues to hold the leading spot with 66 percent, which is clearly enough to remain number one for many months from now.
“Microsoft captured a niche 6 percent global tablet share in Q1 2014. There may be an uptick in Windows following Microsoft’s decision to offer Windows for free for sub 9-inch devices,” the report reads according to WinBeta.
“We may see a new batch of 8 inch Windows based Tablets with reduced prices; they will still not be as inexpensive as Android, but it will enable them to be more competitive and appealing to a wider audience. The shortage of apps continues to be a problem, with seemingly little incentive for developers to work on the platform.”
Microsoft is one of the companies interested in bringing 8-inch devices to the market, with people close to the development plans hinting that a so-called Surface Mini could be launched as soon as next month. Microsoft, however, never confirmed that it's working on a smaller Surface, so nothing is confirmed so far, but more details are likely to emerge in the coming weeks.
Previous reports indicated that the Surface Mini could be a note-taking device also capable of running Windows Store apps, as the tablet would run Windows RT 8.1 Update. Not much is known at this point about this new tablet, but it appears that Microsoft is planning to price the Surface Mini very aggressively in an attempt to compete with the iPad mini and Nexus 7.
The Surface tablet lineup has also received another member recently, as the company rolled out an LTE SKU of the existing Surface 2 this month in order to provide customers with on-the-go Internet connectivity. The device is already on sale in the United States and in the United Kingdom, but more countries are very likely to get it very soon, including several European markets such as France and Germany.