14 DAY TRIAL // That ARM-powered Android tablets were gaining on the Apple iPad was no mystery, but the folks from ABI Research finally published some actual number as to just how much share the latter lost to the former.
If there is anything certain about the tablet market is that it grew from nothing to a notebook-threatening market segment within a year.
The Apple iPad was the first to debut, and remained the best selling model until the present day, but this doesn't mean other devices are just a footnote.
Instead, slates loaded with the Android operating system (like the Motorola XOOM, ASUS Eee Pad Transformer, etc.) have steadily reduced the iPad's hold.
It is ABI research that looked closely into this, discovering by just how much the Apple tablet's share has diminished over the past year.
Apparently, the past 12 months saw 20% of this product's share slip away, though no single company managed to distinguish itself yet.
“Many vendors have introduced media tablets, but none are separating themselves from the pack to pose a serious threat to Apple,” ABI Research mobile devices group director Jeff Orr says.
“In fact, most have introduced products at prices higher than similarly-configured iPads. Apple, never a company to be waiting for others, has introduced its second-generation iPad media tablet while keeping product pricing unchanged.”
Currently, this device category isn't growing as well as it could because of OS software fragmentation, since developers haven't chosen a common software platform.
Then again, 2011 is expected to see some progress in this respect, so it might just be a matter of time before someone becomes a Real Player.
“De-featured, low-cost media tablets are being introduced by more than fifty vendors in 2011,” Orr aded.
“This will certainly help bolster year-over-year growth for the category, but it also creates a negative perception in the minds of the mass consumer audience about the readiness of media tablets to be fully functional within the next several years. Good user experiences and product response are needed to propel this market beyond the ‘early adopter’ stage.”