Update: Now it appears that Samsung&'s Galaxy Tab sales are lower than the company previously let on, which means that Android tablets likely didn&'t take as much market share away from the iPad as we reported below. &8212'
Android isna4‚¬a4„t just gaining on its competition when it comes to phones. The mobile operating system is also beginning to make waves in the tablet market, Bloomberg reports.
In the fourth quarter of 2010, Android tablets snagged 22 percent of global tablet shipments (up from 2.3 percent in the last quarter), while the iPad dropped 20 points to 75 percent of the market, according to data by the market research firm Strategy Analytics.
Applea4‚¬a4„s stranglehold on tablets was bound to loosen eventually, but ita4‚¬a4„s surprising how little it took for the iPad to go from 95 percent of the market to 75 percent. There arena4‚¬a4„t many Android tablets widely available at the moment, and the only truly successful one I can think of is Samsunga4‚¬a4„s Galaxy Tab, which sold 2 million units in 2010.
Apple announced in its most recent quarterly earnings report that it sold 7.3 million iPads in the last quarter, which brought total iPad sales to upwards of 14.8 million since it was released last April.
The iPada4‚¬a4„s success in 2010 was far beyond most analyst expectations, but ita4‚¬a4„s going to have much more competition this year, including high-end Android tablets like Motorolaa4‚¬a4„s Xoom, as well as RIMa4‚¬a4„s BlackBerry PlayBook.
Next Story: Mixtent launches social network that tracks your reputation Previous Story: A billion-dollar mistake: Intel recalls a supporting chip for popular Sandy Bridge platform
Print Email Twitter Facebook Google Buzz LinkedIn Digg StumbleUpon Reddit Delicious Google More&8230'
Companies: Apple, Google, Samsung
Companies: Apple, Google, Samsung
Devindra Hardawar is VentureBeat's lead mobile writer and East Coast correspondent. He studied philosophy at Amherst College, worked in IT support for several years, and has been writing about technology since 2004. He now lives in Brooklyn, New York. You can reach him at devindra@venturebeat.com (all story pitches should also be sent to tips@venturebeat.com), and on Twitter at @Devindra.
Have news to share Launching a startup Email: tips@venturebeat.com
VentureBeat has new weekly email newsletters. Stay on top of the news, and don't miss a beat.
Discuss Add this link to... Bury
Comments