Windows tablet sales soar amid dwindling iPad growth

PanARMENIAN.Net - Windows Phone might be stuttering these days, but Windows tablet sales are looking far healthier, Digital Spy said.

Data from Strategy Analytics suggests that Windows slate shipments rose by 58% year on year during the first nine months of 2015.

Total shipments for this year are forecast to reach 22 million, giving Microsoft a 10% share of the tablet market.

There was a time when Apple's iPad ruled the tablet roost, but the iOS slate now holds a 22% share, while 68% of the market belongs to Android.

But the big news is that Windows slates are forecast to continue on their upward trajectory, claiming market share at the expense of their rivals.

By 2019, Microsoft is expected to be selling 49 million tablets, giving it an 18% share of the market, with Android on 59% and Apple seeing staggered growth on 23%.

Windows' success in the tablet market was attributed to the success of budget slates and Microsoft's Surface line.

"Windows 10 provides a stable base from which the ecosystem can grow," Senior Analyst Eric Smith said. "And we are entering a world where Windows tablets take significant market share from Android tablets on the low end and compete head-to-head with iPad in the high and premium segments."

Clearly Strategy Analytics does not see Apple's super-sized iPad Pro making much of an impact.