Android beats Apple’s iOS in tablet market share

PanARMENIAN.Net - Android has overtaken iOS in the tablet market share for the first quarter of the year, Digital Spy said.

Tablets using Google's Android system accounted for 56.5% of the market, while Apple's iOS achieved 39.6%, according to IDC statistics.

Android's cross-platform operating system has helped it boost its position in the tablet market, compared to iOS which is exclusive to the iPad and iPad Mini. Last year iOS was ahead with 58.1% of the OS market share, while Android stood second with 39.4%.

The data shows an overall rise in both operating systems since last year, although Android has grown significantly by 257.5% compared to iOS which grew by 65.3%.

Despite the finds, Apple remains the top vendor of tablets. The company sold 19.5 million units in the quarter, while Samsung, one of Android's top licensees, sits in second place, selling 8.8 million units.

Asus, Amazon and Microsoft also made the top five vendor list and also increased units, giving the tablet market an overall 142.4% increase from last year.

"Sustained demand for the iPad mini and increasingly strong commercial shipments led to a better-than-expected first quarter for Apple," said Tom Mainelli, Research Director, Tablets at IDC.

BlackBerry CEO Thorsten Heins recently predicted the death of the tablet market, claiming it will be unprofitable within five years.