Android Gaining On Apple

(Mark Huffman Consumer Affairs) When Apple reported it's third quarter earnings Thursday, one stat stuck out. The high-flying tech company sold fewer than expected iPads during the period.

Not surprising, says a report from Strategy Analytics, which follows the technology sector. Android tablet sales surged in the last quarter, allowing it to capture 41 percent of the tablet market to Apple's 57 percent. A year ago, Apple was thought to control two-thirds of the market.

“Global tablet shipments reached 24.7 million units in Q3 2012, rising a sluggish 43 percent from 17.2 million in Q3 2011,” Peter King, director at Strategy Analytics, said. “Demand for tablets slowed due to ongoing economic uncertainty and consumers holding off purchases in anticipation of multiple new models, like the iPad Mini, during the upcoming Q4 holiday season.”

Apple disappoints

Strategy Analytics says Apple shipped a disappointing 14.0 million iPads worldwide and captured 57 percent share in the third quarter of 2012, dipping from 64 percent a year ago.

“Apple’s slowdown allowed the Android community to make gains and Android’s global share of the tablet market now stands at a record 41 percent,” King said.

Android's move up, meanwhile, has been dramatic. A year ago only 29 percent of the market belonged to Android. Now it has a 41 percent market share.

“Global Android tablet shipments doubled annually to 10.2 million units,” said Neil Mawston, Executive Director at Strategy Analytics. “No single Android vendor comes close to Apple in volume terms at the moment, but the collective weight of dozens of hardware partners, such as Asus, Samsung and Nook, is helping Google’s Android platform to register a growing presence in tablets.”

The company says it expects tablet sales to pick up speed in the current quarter, thanks to new entries from Apple, Amazon and Microsoft.

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