Android eats into iPad's share, powering 30% of tablets.(LIES, DAMN LIES AND STATISTICS)

Just as it seemed as though the Android vendors could do nothing to eat into the iPad's market share, a new report indicates that the Google platform is making tablet inroads at last. Apple's share of the fledgling sector has fallen from a massive 94% in the second quarter last year, to a still healthy 61% in Q211, according to estimates by Strategy Analytics.


The rest of the tablet space was dominated by a growing number of Android models, which collectively grabbed 30% of shipments, leaving 9% for other operating systems such as Windows 7, which gained 4.6%, and the early showing of the RIM PlayBook (3.3%).
In unit terms, the tablet market expanded significantly, from a total of 3.5 million a year ago to 15.1 million. Within those totals, Apple's loss of market share was not due to a sales slowdown--its shipments were up from 3.3 million to 9.3 million units and although there was some disappointment around the iPad at the turn of the year, in Q2 it leapt to be Apple's second largest business after iPhone. In the year-ago quarter, by contrast, Android was scarcely making a showing, selling just 100,000 tablets, whereas in Q211 it managed 4.6 million. Windows models and the PlayBook went from zero to shipping 700,000 and 500,000 units respectively.


Other OSs will enter the space, such as WebOS on the new HP TouchPad, and Intel's MeeGo, but this is clearly a two-horse race between Apple and Android, at least until Windows 8--which will span phones and PCs--makes its debut in 2012. But the Android side is very fragmented, and many are looking to Amazon and the large-screen Samsung Galaxy Tab to deliver some truly impactful designs.


Neil Mawston, director at Strategy Analytics, said, "Multiple Android models distributed across multiple countries by multiple brands such as Samsung, Acer, Asus, Motorola and others are driving volumes. However, no Android vendor yet offers a blockbuster model to rival the iPad, and demand for many Android vendors' products remains patchy. If Amazon decides to enter the Android tablet category later this year, that will bring fresh excitement and buzz to the Android community, but Amazon will need to deliver a truly stand-out offering if it really wants to make headway against the popular iPad."
This article first appeared in Wireless Watch.