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Android tablets are finally gaining ground: Study suggests iPad market share is dwindling

Updated Dec 19th, 2018 8:31PM EST
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Apple (AAPL) sold more iPads into sales channels in the second quarter this year than it has ever sold in a single quarter. The 17 million iOS slates Apple shipped last quarter represent more units than any Android tablet has shipped in its entire lifespan, but according to a recent study, it may not have been enough to stop the iPad from losing market share to Android-powered rivals.

Strategy Analytics reported last week that Apple’s share of the global tablet market ticked up to 68% from 62% in the June quarter, but research consultancy Frank N. Magid Associates’s data says otherwise. According to the firm, which recently surveyed 4,734 cell phone and smartphone owners, roughly 50% of people currently own an iPad, down significantly from 72% at last count.

The firm says Amazon’s (AMZN) Kindle Fire tablet made the biggest dent in Apple’s tablet share, skyrocketing to 22% since launching last winter. “That’s what made up the difference,” Tom Godfrey, executive director of mobile strategy at Magid, told The Los Angeles Times.

“We expect to see the iPad as the leader, but with the Surface, Kindle Fire, and Nexus [7] as three solid competitors with significant market share,” Godfrey said, noting that he expects the number of tablet users globally to double from 51 million to 106 million by the end of 2013.

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Zach Epstein
Zach Epstein Executive Editor

Zach Epstein has been the Executive Editor at BGR for more than 10 years. He manages BGR’s editorial team and ensures that best practices are adhered to. He also oversees the Ecommerce team and directs the daily flow of all content. Zach first joined BGR in 2007 as a Staff Writer covering business, technology, and entertainment.

His work has been quoted by countless top news organizations, and he was recently named one of the world's top 10 “power mobile influencers” by Forbes. Prior to BGR, Zach worked as an executive in marketing and business development with two private telcos.