Apple’s iPad loses market share in Q4 to… the BlackBerry PlayBook?

It looks like one of our favorite tablets finally managed to put a dent in Apple’s market share. Apple posted the second most profitable quarter in U.S. history late last year, and it managed to move a record-setting 15.4 million iPads between October and December. While the rest of the world was buying up iPads at an incredible rate, however, a number of consumers in Canada were turning their attention to the home-grown BlackBerry PlayBook tablet instead, Globe and Mail reports. Market research firm Solutions Research Group conducted a survey of 1,000 Canadian consumers and determined that the PlayBook’s market share grew to 15% in the fourth quarter last year, up from just 5%. During the same period, Apple’s share of the Canadian tablet market fell from 86% to 68%. The deep discounts on RIM’s PlayBook tablet ahead of the holidays are credited for the market share boost, but the findings further illustrate market demand for a quality tablet that is affordable. RIM will have competition if it hopes to aim for lower price points in the future, however — Amazon’s Kindle Fire is a big hit at $199 and Apple is expected to shave at least $100 from the price of its iPad 2 when the next-generation iPad 3 launches next month.

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Tags: Apple, iPad, iPad 2, market share, RIM, Sales, Shipments

Zach Epstein