back to article Storming quarter sees Apple reassert tablet dominance

Apple's market share boomed in the second quarter of the year, with Cupertino accounting for 69.6 per cent of all tablets shipped globally The latest figures from IHS iSuppli show sales of iPad fondleslabs were up 44 per cent in the second quarter, at 17 million tablets sold. Apple shipped nearly 29 million tablets shipped …

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  1. Andrew Jones 2

    Let's just wait and see what happens when the Nexus7 is added to the figures in the next quarter......

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      That's what they said about the Kindle Fire!

    2. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Nexus

      Ho ho ho!

      The punter wants quality, not a cut price tablet that sits in a niche market.

      Oh does it have 3G, no?

      Then it is next to useless for me.

      1. Anonymous Coward
        Anonymous Coward

        Re: Nexus

        That's 'too' useless, not 'to' useless. Mind you, even if you used correct spelling, it would still be a) grammatically incorrect b) stupid

      2. Sp0ck

        Re: Nexus

        Why does it need 3g? Do you not have a phone? Oh does it not allow you to tether? shame :(

        My cheapo Android Xperia Ray allows me to tether, so my non 3g Transformer Prime can be connected to the net if I require it, which is not that often.. Saves me spending a huge amount on a tablet with 3g that I don't need.

        And no, you are wrong, the rich punter may well be happy spending hundreds and hundreds on an iPad3 with 3g. Thing is there are people out there who can just about justify spending £200 on a nexus 7 and would be more than happy with it.

      3. Mark .

        Re: Nexus

        I'm not convinced that most people are willing to shell out for not one, but two large data smartphone-level contracts, but I may be wrong. I'm certainly not, and I'm someone with an interesting in technology.

        Why not just use your smartphone as a hotspot, which mainstream platforms like Android and Symbian can do for free. As for niche markets, I could say the same about the Islates.

      4. Anonymous Coward
        Anonymous Coward

        Re: Nexus

        >Oh does it have 3G, no?

        >Then it is next to useless for me.

        You don't own a phone with 3G? or you just want to pay the massive premium for network connectivity with every device you buy?

        If its the latter, a 16Gb 3G iPad2 from Orange currently has a TCO of £829, sounds perfect for you - even includes 24Gb of data over the 2 year contract period....

    3. LarsG
      Meh

      The Nexus

      Is a competitor of the Kindle Fire,

      Not

      Of the iPad.

    4. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      I hope Apple don't release a smaller iPad with the same quality as the iPad 3 and with the same feature set because if priced competitively the Nexus will crash and burn.

      1. Mark .

        Then Apple had better hope Samsung don't release something with 10 times the quality of an Ipad 4, but costing only 50p. (See how it's easy to argue with made-up products and prices?)

    5. toadwarrior

      I can't see the nexus having any real effect. Again it's a cheap budget tablet and its quality reflects that.

      There are complaints all around about screen losing toch in half the screen, google's message board is full of all sorts of complaints but the main one seems to be about the screen coming loose and everyone's even complained about how shit the packaging is.

      I'm sure it's done well amongst diehard fandroids that would have ordered it even if it were just a piece of wood with google burnt into it but I can see everyone else getting too excited about it.

    6. Shagbag

      Is the article's author a Fanboy?

      "boomed"

      "crushing"

      There's no need for such hyperbolae save where a hidden agenda is being pushed. Everyone knows the iPad sells in greater amounts that its rivals.

  2. Philip Lewis
    Thumb Down

    Rebuild?

    "Apple is making all the right moves to rebuild its dominant position in the tablet space."

    Was there some moment in time since the release of the iPad that Apple's position has not been dominant? I must have missed that.

    1. Shagbag

      Re: Rebuild?

      Agreed. The author is confused.

  3. vic 4

    Consumer confidence

    I'm pretty sure Apple wil continue to rule the tablet roost for a while yet. I think a large part of the success in the tablet area shown by apple is down to consumer confidence. There have been a large number of cheap android devices which have been appalling and put quite a lot of people off . We are however seeing some pretty impressive devices nowadays, for just less than £200 nowadays you can get something that is on par with the ipad2 but with extra features. For me the only compelling aspect of the latest ipad is the resolution of the screen.

    Also, many of the cheaper android tablets still require some mucking around to say get the play store on there or upgrade to a recent OS, reminds me a lot like linux years back, maybe if google made it easier for smaller companies to pre-install the play store things would improve Also, I think this is an area where the choice is too confusing for your average consumer, with phones they see their mates or family with them and it's not uncommon to have a stranger strike up a conversation about your phone, see someone with a tablet and most likely they are reading/watching a film and not going to like being disturbed.

    1. Mark .

      Re: Consumer confidence

      Apple's position is down to these factors:

      * Apple's Ipads gets vast amounts of media coverage - which started even before it was announced, let alone released (so could have nothing to do with whether it was any good or not). Most people don't even know about "tablets", they just hear about "The Ipad". Tonnes of free advertising, even before you add the immense advertising campaign from Apple.

      * Vast amounts of support by shops. It seems that every shop round here is selling Ipads, with hardly anyone having Android non-phone tablets. Even phone shops have ceiling-high banners for old Ipads, whilst the latest better selling Android smartphones are ignored. Yes you can order an Android tablet off the Internet, but that doesn't go well for large sales.

      It's never got to the point where most people walk into a shop, and see an array of tablets given equal prominance on display. Instead people walk into a shop, look for what they've been told is "an Ipad", and then see the row of Ipads on display. As always, Apple can only win with support from the media and shops, and when it isn't a fair fight.

      To be honest though, given all this bias, I think it's shocking that Apple only have 69%, compared to 31% for Android. 31% is pretty damn good given hardly any media coverage for media tablets, and generally being ignored by companies that are happily writing "apps" for their services only for Ipads. In comparison, OS X gets tonnes of coverage, and companies happily support Macs - yet the share of OS X is only 10%. It's mad.

      But as I say in my other comment, the real problem for Android tablets is that most people aren't interesting in paying loads of money for an oversized phone with less features (by which I describe the Ipad, just as much as any other tablet). The only people attracted towards spending loads of money just because they think it looks cool are those who are Apple fanatics. Same reason why Apple do best at "ultrabooks" - because most people aren't interested in spending hundreds just for something they think looks cool, or is 1mm thinner. They'd rather stick with a more popular, and portable and cheaper Windows netbook, or instead a more powerful Windows laptop.

  4. Eddy Ito
    Meh

    Expected

    Tablets are on the rise and will take over the place of smartphones. The only question that remains will be one of format. Personally, I think the iPad is a tad large and I'd prefer something about the size of an A5 sheet of paper.

    Mark my words, it won't be long before we start seeing smartphones in serious decline as access point phones will start to take over. Sure the carriers won't be happy but it will happen sooner or later where the mobile phone begins to shrink once again and is actually just a phone with a wireless access point built in. People will connect their tablets, laptops and automobiles to the internet through the phone but for the most part the only direct interaction with the phone will be setting up the connections of everything else and perhaps the occasional phone call for those who don't have networked glasses or earwigs and button mics.

    Don't get me wrong, smartphones won't go away any time soon because of the all-in-one compact goodness. Unfortunately it's that same compact nature that limits it to second string and, I expect, ultimately lead to it's demise inasmuch as once the rest of the personal network is figured out, any device can handle the access point and why would anyone want the phone at all?

    1. Shane Sturrock

      Re: Expected

      I have an iPad and an iPhone and they both serve their purposes. The tablet works best for sitting down and relaxed browsing while the phone is great on the move and can access data anywhere without me having to deal with a gigantic device. I didn't bother getting the 3G iPad because I can tether off my phone so I usually have the iPad in my backpack and can use it when having a coffee or just work from the phone. Don't see either leaving my life soon as I don't want a phone as big as a tablet, or a tablet as small as a phone (see the Galaxy Note which is ridiculous and hilarious in the hands and held against your face) though I may be tempted to switch to a 7" iPad if one surfaces if I can deal with the smaller screen but to my big fingers the 10" is about right so maybe not.

      Where does this leave my MacBook Air? In my bag most of the time when travelling although I use it all day at my desk. The combination of MBA, iPad and iPhone is fantastic though and I can't believe how much I can do on the road these days.

      1. Mark .

        Re: Expected

        "I have an Ipad! I have an Iphone! I have a MBAProBookApple! Galaxy Note users look silly!"

        This post really did come across as a stereotypical fanatic. Perhaps people just have different needs and desires to you? I've seen the Galaxy Note, and it looks fine. Large phones are the norm - these days, I think people with small feature phones, like Apple's, look silly, but that's just me.

        "a phone as big as a tablet, or a tablet as small as a phone"

        This sentence makes no sense - just because an Ipad is 10", doesn't mean that's the size of tablets. Phones can be big, tablets can be small. There is no one true size for either - despite you trying to push the Apple spin that a tablet must be 10", and a phone must be 3.5". A tablet is a device that isn't a smartphone. It's just that these days, there's no point making a small tablet that isn't also a phone - but there is nothing about size in the definitions of these terms.

        A 4.8" smartphone is the perfect size for giving as large a screen as possible, whilst still fitting in a pocket. If I have room to fit a 10" device in my bag, then I have room to put my far more functional Samsung N220, which can wirelessly use network off my phone (and I find it odd that you travel with both a laptop *and* a 10" tablet, it seems odd if there are things that an Apple PC can't do that an Apple tablet can).

    2. Long Fei

      Re: Expected

      I have my big ol' Windows desktop at home for, well, home use, my Asus Transformer for use as a laptop or casual device and my olde HTC Desire HD for use as a phone. Each has a distinct use, and I can't see myself getting rid of any of them.

      I don't take my Transformer with me all the time, but my phone goes everywhere I go, which is probably a fairly normal pattern. I think it highly unlikely that (most) people are going to start using pads as phones as well.

    3. Anonymous Coward
      Mushroom

      Re: Expected

      What?? You're nuts! I take my smartphone everywhere with me, I will NEVER do that with a tablet until they are able to be folded up like a piece of paper and stuck in my pocket. Maybe you think carrying a tablet around with you all the time is reasonable, but you will quickly learn you are in a minority. Are apps/browsing better on a tablet than a phone? Sure. But the best device to do those tasks on is and always will be THE ONE THAT IS WITH YOU!

      Tablets have their place, but what they will hurt is the PC market, not the smartphone market. All the casual users who have up until now owned a PC because it was the ONLY way for them to do email and browsing will switch to a tablet because it's a better form factor for casual users. Households that currently own one (or more PC) per resident will start getting tablets and own fewer PCs. This is already happening, as is evident by the explosive growth in tablet sales and the fact that PC sales have SHRUNK for three straight quarters now. They will continue to shrink, Windows 8 will do nothing to stop that trend.

      1. Mark .

        Re: Expected

        It's not clear to me that tablets are a better form factor - I have to constantly hold it in my hands, or lie it face down flat and then strain my neck, whilst netbooks/laptops can sit nicely on my lap, or wherever, and sit at a nice angle. The advantage of touchscreens will be lost when they become standard of laptops (as seems will happen with Windows 8).

        A new market will always grow rapidly, whilst established markets that are at near saturation point won't, and in this economic climate will suffer. That tells us nothing about how the two market sizes will compare in the meantime. Plus dividing into PCs and tablets will soon be meaningless - will the Windows 8 hybrids like the Surface, or equivalents of ASUS Transformers, be "tablets" or "PCs"? If all the new PCs are counted instead as "tablets" simply because they have touchscreens, then it seems obvious that PC market will shrink whilst tablets grow, but that's just an exercise in sematics. And if they're being sold by traditional PC makers, then the market hasn't be "hurt".

        It's also worth noting that this works both ways. I'd argue that the market for smartphones seriously hurts the market for large tablets (if a 7" or 10" tablet was the smallest device you could get Internet on, they'd be selling massively; instead, there are far more people out there buying Android smartphones). Similarly, if laptops and netbooks didn't exist, there'd be a far bigger market. I could just as well spin it that sales of PCs hurt the market for tablets.

        What we should be looking at is the overall size of all these devices together, and if that market is growing, then it seems all good for the manufacturers as a whole. It will always seem that similar kinds of devices will be in competition with each other, but it's not clear that's a problem. We might as well claim that touchscreen phones have eaten into the market for non-touchscreen phones, or that diesel cars eat into the market for petrol cars. Of course when you subdivide the market, the sales in each subdivision are less, but that doesn't mean the market has been hurt overall. Another example will be that standalone mp3 players must be hurt by the dominance of smartphones, but I don't see people complaining about that.

    4. LarsG
      Meh

      Re: Expected

      Greats, carry round 3 or 4 devices because no single device can do everything I want, don't forget the chargers.

      Then the company you work for expects you to get things done on the move, by working at home or to and from work and yet doesn't pay you? And do you get paid for it? No.

      If your work cannot be completed while at work you are either,

      Poorly Organised

      Or

      Overworked and put upon

      In this economic climate the fear of redundancy probably makes it the latter.

    5. Mark .

      Re: Expected

      "Tablets are on the rise and will take over the place of smartphones."

      I think this is really just semantics. If you mean that the phone functionality will be less important, then we're already at that point. Even bog standard non-smartphones, since around 2004, have actually been handheld computing devices, that just have the ability to make phone calls for backwards compatibility.

      As for the idea that most people will switch to carrying around a very small phone for phone calls and data access, and have a separate larger device, I'm not convinced. The limiting factor for many people is the pocket - many times I don't have room for something that's larger than pocket size, so I only have room for a phone. Therefore, I might as well choose a phone that does what I want as a smartphone. And for people who do have room for something bigger all the time, there's still no reason not to give up the built in phone functionality, or faff around with a separate device, so why not have it all in one, with something like the Galaxy Note?

      Another problem with your argument is that phones stopped being dumb years ago - so all the while people still buy phones, they will still have support for applications and Internet, because those features are cheap enough to have at standard. I suspect that with time, the average price of a phone will fall again, and even a cheap phone will have high end smartphone features that are good enough for most people. But whether or not people also carry around larger non-phone tablets - I doubt that we're going to go back to phones being dumb phones.

      So phones won't be replaced, nor will they lose their "smart" features. And we've already long been at the point where "phones" are actually tablets anyway, it's just a matter of semantics.

  5. Tidosho
    WTF?

    Right moves my ass!

    "Apple is making all the right moves to rebuild its dominant position in the tablet space."

    All the right moves? By suing every competing Tom and Dick because of rectangular curved shape, or because they reckon they "invented" all their tech, and the method of clicking icons to launch apps?

    Get real. If it wasn't for Foxconn, Samsung and all Japanese boffins who invent the stuff that Apple claim "they" did, Apple wouldn't exist. Apple dont "invent", they just use existing technology, claim they're the first to use it, then sue and use petty patents to get to the top.

    Typical thick American Arseholes. And their deluded fangays!

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: Right moves my ass! @Tidosho

      Crikey mate how do you manage to walk around with that huge chip on your shoulder?

      1. Anonymous Coward
        Anonymous Coward

        Re: Right moves my ass! @Tidosho

        Or a 12 year old whose mummy said no when he asked for an iPad.

    2. toadwarrior
      Meh

      Re: Right moves my ass!

      Sounds like you're so butt hurt your hemorrhoids must be the size of an ipad.

    3. Silverburn
      Boffin

      Re: Right moves my ass! @ Tidosho

      Time for a car analogy...

      Austin did not invent:

      - Internal combustion

      - wheels

      - multi-link suspension

      - syncromesh gearboxes

      - pnuematic tyres

      - Shock absorbers

      - rack an pinion steering

      - the car

      Yet, they "invented" the mini, and revolutionised the small car market in the process. And they sold by the bucketload.

      Just because Apple did not invent some of it's component technologies, it did see a way of packaging them in such a way as to create a new product which "revolutionised" (their words, not mine...) the tablet market.

      Sidenote: Surely there's a godwin-style meme for when a thread resorts to car analogies..?

      1. Mark .

        Re: Right moves my ass! @ Tidosho

        The OP was out of order with his abuse - but it's tiring to see the Apple fanatics once again take it as an excuse to shill.

        The same can be said about many companies, such as Nokia or Samsung. Why aren't you going on about how these companies revolutionised markets, even if they didn't invent everything first? No, it's only Apple Apple Apple we hear you going on about all the time, even though loads of other companies are selling by the bucketload (Apple are 3rd place in the phone market, not 1st).

        And Apple didn't create a new product with the Ipad, the first Android tablets appeared in late 2009. Apple were just first in getting vast amounts of free media hype, even before it was announced, let alone released. But 2.5 years on, I'm still waiting for the "revolution".

        1. Philip Lewis
          WTF?

          Re: Right moves my ass! @ Tidosho

          "waiting for the revolution" wtf?

          You mustn't get out much. World+dog are trying to get a piece of the action because they have all figured out this is the direction for mobile, and mobile will replace lots of fixed computing.

          Microsoft is so damned scared of the potential consequences that they have entered the hardware business for mobile devices to host their OS! This is a MAJOR turning point. MS has stayed out of that game, despite that MS saw the tablet as the future 10-12 years ago. Ms just didn't have the software answer back then. No they think they do have the software answer and need to make a land claim for mind share before it's too late.

          I would say there is more than enough happening to posit that the revolution is in progress.

        2. Anonymous Coward
          Anonymous Coward

          Re: Right moves my ass! @ Mark

          You've certainly got a lot to say for yourself.

          Maybe you need to find yourself another outlet in the world..... A girlfriend perhaps.

  6. Mark .

    Most "tablets" are smartphones; lies and statistics

    Most people have tablets - they're called smartphones. Where Android dominates. When the "phone" functionality is now a minor part of a smartphone's features, it seems odd to divide the market - and doing so is just to trick to make Apple look better. So, they are number one in a small arbitrary market? Does that really matter, when Samsung and Android in general is on far greater numbers of tablets in the form of smartphones? If we are going to divide the market up into arbitrary categories, we might as well say that Apple are number one at selling Ipads.

    Ipads are just what we used to call media players, and we already knew Apple was number one there (the Ipod). Counting this as a separate market is just double counting for Apple.

    Meanwhile for people who want larger devices, most people are still out there preferring laptops, most of which run Windows.

    (And why is it only news when Apple are number one? Where are all the articles about Android's immense dominance in a far bigger market? Where are all the articles pointing out how Apple's smartphone sales have plunged dramatically every quarter this year? Or all the articles about Symbian's dominance until 2011? Or all the articles about Windows's dominance over OS X and Linux?)

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