New figures released by Gartner show that even though Apple’s iPad continues to lose marketshare, it still outsold the next 4 tablet makers combined. So, don’t push the panic button any time soon…
Gartner, via 9to5Mac:
Apple’s strong fourth quarter helped it to maintain the top position in the market in 2013 […]
Apple’s tablets remain strong in the higher end of the market and, Apple’s approach will continue to force vendors to compete with full ecosystem offerings, even in the smaller-screen market as the iPad mini sees a greater share …
Apple sold 70.4 million iPads last year, which was a nice increase from 61.4 million in 2012. Samsung, ASUS, Amazon, and Lenovo had 64 million combined. Samsung took second place with 37.4 million.
While Gartner’s headlines focused on marketshare, trumpeting that Android captured 62% of the tablet market, that figure continues to be a false flag where tablet sales are concerned. The iPad is made by one company – Apple – while Android tablets are made by what seems to be every electronics company in the world.
Another reason marketshare means little at this point: Apple doesn’t dabble in the low-end part of the market, which is where much of the Android sales lie. You won’t see an Apple branded tablet going for under 80 bucks at Big Lots any time soon. There were at least five such Android tablets available for that price or lower the last time I visited the closeout merchandiser.
The main figure of interest: Apple’s iPad sales increased by 9 million, even as its marketshare dropped from 52.8% to 36%.
So, while many publications will trumpet the loss of marketshare for the iPad, be sure to take a closer look at the sales numbers as a whole before shedding a crocodile tear for Apple.
