BOSTON –
Global tablet shipment surged 280 percent
in the third quarter to 16.7 million units from the
year-ago period, and Apple tablets accounted for
67 percent of those shipments, a Strategy Analytics
study found.
Android captured 27 percent share, with Microsoft
lagging behind at 2 percent and Research In Motion’s
QNX OS at 1 percent.
The sell-in statistics do not include e-book readers.
Android’s share rose to 27 percent from a meager
2 percent during the year-ago quarter on shipments
that rose to 4.5 million from a year-ago 100,000, and
Android’s share is poised to go higher with the launch
of Amazon’s Kindle Fire, Strategy Analytics said.
“Dozens of Android models distributed across
multiple countries by numerous brands such as
Samsung, Acer and others have been driving volumes,”
said Neil Mawston, director at Strategy Analytics.
“Industry eyes will next turn to the commercial
launch of the Amazon Fire. Amazon’s strategy
of minimizing its hardware price is set to ignite the
entry-level tablet segment and attract more massmarket
consumers.”
The study also claimed that “the future release of
Windows 8 cannot come quickly enough for Microsoft,
so its hardware partners can start competing
more effectively in the tablet space.” As for RIM’s
QNX platform, the study said, “The next-generation
PlayBook 2.0 model will need to offer a much improved
ecosystem for messaging and consumer
apps if it wants to take off.”
