Study Finds Android Tablets Could Be About To Topple The iPad

(7:28 am PDT, Oct 2nd 2012)

Study Finds Android Tablets Could Be About To Topple The iPad

Cheap Android tablets are stealing the iPad’s market share.

A study conducted by the Pew Internet & American Life Project has found a massive boom in tablets over the last 12 months, with 25% of American adults now owning a tablet of their own. As you might expect, the iPad is the most popular device out there at the moment, claiming more than 52% of the market. But that may not be the case for too long.

Android tablets are rapidly catching up, and in the not-so-distant future, there’s a good chance they will be king.

The other 48% of the market is made up of Android tablets from various manufacturers, with Amazon’s Kindle Fire accounting for 21% of that share. Apple’s device is still the most popular slate there is for now, but its share is quickly being impacted by its rivals.

In 2011, for example, the iPad held a whopping 81% of the market, while Android devices claimed just 15%. Things have quickly evened themselves out over the last 12 months, and The Pew Research Center believes that could be the result of a recent influx in Android devices.

They also note that these results were finalized before Google released the Nexus 7 and before Amazon launched the new Kindle Fire HD. With that in mind, there’s a good chance Android tablets are already on par with the iPad, if not out in front.

With Amazon’s original Kindle Fire claiming more than a fifth of Android’s share, it’s evident that budget-friendly slates are becoming hugely popular. It’s no wonder, then, that Apple appears to have changed its mind about releasing a smaller, cheaper iPad.

As for smartphones, Android continues to claim the top spot among U.S. adults, with 46% of users running Google’s platform. In comparison, the iPhone accounts for 38%, while RIM’s dying BlackBerry platform accounts for just 10%.

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Comment »

  • Kr00

    Why do the words “cheap” and “android” seem to go so well together? Might be due to the fact they’re giving them away with almost every promotion. Suppose if you can’t sell ‘em, just give them away. Great. I need a new door stop.

    • FriarNurgle

      I wouldn’t turn one away. As the prices drop it is getting more and more tempting to pick one up to mount on the fridge or something just for a pic frame/media player/recipe holder.

    • http://www.facebook.com/people/Skilled-Shade/1311891431 Skilled Shade

      =( I’m sorry I’m watching this… using my cheap Wifi antenna that since 3 months can use 2.4 or 5 ghz frecuency (something that apple is very proud on the iPhone 5) also running with my Snapdragon S4 that since 3 months makes the apple A6 looks like a joke… Also looking at my 720p display in gorgeus 4.7″ everything is crystal clear where it should be! But Hey don’t worry JellyBean with this processor only tops the A6 by 20% of smoothness… cheer up! You can sync to iCloud and backup everything … oh wait like i can do sith my 10 gb+ of cloud storage that Google gave me YEAR ago, backing up all my thing YEAR ago… speak about bang for the buck iSheep

  • ScotHibb

    HAAA…nice, “cheap” and “android” fit perfectly together. You get what you pay for, that’s for damn sure. My father purchased a Kindle Fire for my mother because she reads a lot. I lent her an old iPad 2 I had, she hasn’t touched the Kindle since. If I had known he was going to buy her one, I would have gave her the iPad with a Kindle App installed. There’s a reason why a diversified company such as Amazon has stock trading at $250/share while the specialized/targeted company Apple’s stock is trading at $633/share.

    What all these statistics asshats fail to realize, is when you LUMP TOGETHER “Android Tablets” you are including a thousand different brands, shapes, sizes, etc. When you compare all of THEM to APPLE’s iPAD (only TWO brands available for sale, iPad 2 16GB and Gen-3 iPad 16/32/64GB), you are simply using smoke and mirrors to make it seem like Apple doesn’t rule the world.

    It’s like saying “20,000 different varieties of ‘smart phones’ running Android OS outnumber 3 models of phones running iOS”.

    Asshats…

    • http://www.facebook.com/bobbysolar Robert Dorais

      If she reads a lot, neither device is right for her. She should have gotten an e-ink reader. The battery life is better and the screen is easier on the eyes.

  • http://twitter.com/gnomehole The Gnome

    Man you Fandroids are all about “winning” with numbers aren’t you. If selling a bunch of cheap Android tablets to the masses is what you need to sleep at night than so be it…

    I’d look up King before I’d proclaim anything as such, however… you have a looonnnggg way to go before you get there, my friends.

  • rosewoodat5th

    “They also note that these results were finalized before Google released the Nexus 7 — also prised at a mere $99″

    Typo: prised is not a word… also the Google Nexus 7 starts at $199 USD not $99 USD

    • rosewoodat5th

      Also Amazon doesn’t sell a $99 USD tablet either, their cheapest tablet is $159 USD

      • VinMessina

        The author meant $199 but since the OG Fire is now cheaper I’ve decided to omit the price. Thanks.

    • VinMessina

      It’s British for “prized” =) Fixed, thanks!

  • http://openid.aol.com/iphonerulez I. M. Wright

    Does it even matter that all cheap Android tablets eventually outsell Apple’s iPad? Apple is just one company and it should be expected that dozens of companies selling cheaper products will eventually have the most market share. No Android tablet vendor is actually getting rich from selling their tablets. A business is still a business and Apple is making good money from selling their products.

    If global sales matter then obviously low-cost Android tablets will have all the sales in countries like Africa, China, India, etc. The majority of those people can’t afford anything better than some cheap junk. Android devices fit that bill perfectly. So, what this survey is saying makes a lot of sense, and is likely inevitable. There are far more poor people on the planet than rich people. However, being poor does not make you a winner nor is being poor something to aspire to. I pass on owning some cheap piece of junk tablet when I can afford better. If Apple has any sense, it will just accept Android tablets having the lowest end products and greatest market share. It’s not a market Apple needs to survive.

    A few years back most surveys said that cheap Windows netbooks would rule the planet but that never took place because Apple’s iPad changed all that. Who knows? Maybe something else will take the place of tablets. I just hope it’s an Apple product.

  • Bby Twitty

    “Study Finds Android Tablets Could Be About To Topple The iPad”

    Haha.

    Hahahaha.

    HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAHHAHAHAAHAHAHAAHA!!!!!!!!!!!!!! JOKE FAIL.

  • Polimon

    If Android tablets are about to topple iPad, why does iPad account for 95% of all tablet web traffic. People may be buying Android tablets, but they aren’t using them much. Apparently, most Android tablets are just sitting in a drawer somewhere.

  • Cold_dead_fingers

    Though, it’s pretty much expected that Apple can’t own an entire sector like they did with the iPod, I can’t see Android tablets taking much more ground than they have at the moment. With the purported iPad mini on the way, I just can’t see the iPad losing. As much as we’ve been doubting that Apple has another iPod on their hands, I think Apple just might have another iPod.

    An iPad mini with the A6 and a smaller 8″ form factor may be all that is needed for the new tablet. Hell, an iPad mini with these specs would get me to buy my second iPad of the year. This is very, very interesting.

  • http://www.twitter.com/diontelove Dionte Love

    Til the iPad mini comes and saves the day.

  • ajendus

    I see people using iPads… everywhere. I don’t see people using these Android tablets. Maybe they are being sold but they aren’t being used.

  • http://twitter.com/Sheald Schnell

    Fandroids have been saying this for years. Funny how you never actually see anyone using one. They are always sitting in a drawer somewhere. Android Phablets effectively kill their own tablet market.

About the author

Killian BellKillian Bell is a freelance writer based in the UK. He has an interest in all things tech and also writes for TechnoBuffalo. You can follow him on Twitter via @killianbell, or through his website.

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