It was a rough third quarter for Apple’s iPad – at least relative to the entire tablet market, which is growing much faster than Apple’s once dominant market share.
According to the latest data from ABI Research, Apple’s iPad retained a 55% unit shipment share for the quarter, but that’s not as impressive as it may sound.
As it turns out, notwithstanding Apple’s lead for ten consecutive quarters, competition from rival tablets – like those powered by Google’s Android OS – has hampered iPad’s growth considerably.
Fifty-five percent is the lowest share Apple has ever had since launching the iPad in 2010, ABI finds.
“With the introduction of a smaller, lower-cost iPad mini, Apple has acknowledged Android’s beachhead of 7-inch-class tablets, though at the same time, it has failed to deliver a knock-out punch through innovation, pricing, and availability during the most critical selling period of the year,” says senior practice director Jeff Orr.
“As the OS of choice for the majority of device OEMs, we expect the Android ecosystem to continue growing in numbers – new manufacturers, better device choices for reaching more markets, and more developers finding value from apps and content,” Orr contends.