Recently released figures from ABI Research show that Android has taken the highest-selling tablet crown from the iPad for the first time.
Don’t get too excited yet, because it’s not quite as good as it sounds. As always, being selective with numbers can make your own products look very good! The figures show a number of interesting factors that show that it’s not just price that sells Android.
Key Points
Importantly, Apple is still outselling other manufacturers by volume. But when pitted against the number of tablet manufacturers using Android, Google’s OS now has the lead.
The selling price of Android tablets rose by an average of 17% from the same time last year, while iPad prices dropped by the same 17% average cost. The figures are no doubt related to the increasing number of sub-10-inch models now available on the market, which is now dominated by 7-to-8-inch models.
The 7.9-inch iPad Mini accounted for 60% of all iPad sales during the period. It’s important to note that the iPad Mini costs significantly less than its full sized companion, accounting for a large portion of the decrease in selling price for Apple.
One drawback of this research is that there is unfortunately no breakdown of the numbers on Android – due to the massive number of manufacturers that are in the Android space, gathering those numbers would prove quite the challenge. Similar issues exist when attempting to quantify smartphone sales by model.
There’ll always be space for both Android and iOS in what is now a huge market (in excess of US $12b annually), but as an Android user and fan, I’ll accept this small victory. 😉
Are these numbers meaningful, or simply selectively quoted to make Android look good? Let us know your thoughts — and tablet preferences — in the comments below
