Android tablets make up 43.4% of the global tablet market, while iOS-based ones (including the iPad, iPad 2 and iPad mini) represent 48.2%, according to data from Strategy Analytics. The 4.8% gap isn't negligible, but it's much less than 28.9% difference from the same period in 2012.
Two important caveats: The data reflects only the tablets sold during the quarter, not how many devices exist in the market. It also counts tablets shipped to vendors, which isn't the same thing as what is sold to consumers.
SEE ALSO: 4 Predictions for Tablets in 2013
Other analytics companies report on actual usage of tablets, based on examining data from websites that track what kind of devices access them. In those studies, the iPad is consistently dominant: Chitika reported last December that for every 100 impressions from an iPad, just 4.88 come from the next most popular tablet, Amazon's Kindle Fire.
Nonetheless, the data point to Android tablet sales advancing considerably. The introduction of a new class of devices — led by Google's Nexus tablets and Samsung's Galaxy line — as well as improved software in the form of Android 4.1 "Jelly Bean" have clearly had an impact.
Strategy Analytics also points out that when "white box" tablets are considered, which are tablets bought from a supplier and then rebranded and modified with lower-cost components, Android's market share jumps to 52%. Those tablets are generally from brands few people in the West have heard of (Calsen, for example) and serve a different market than the typical tablet consumer.
As for Windows tablets, they captured 7.5% of the market in the first quarter, which includes both Windows 8 and RT models. That adds up to about 3 million tablets sold. "Very limited distribution, a shortage of top tier apps, and confusion in the market are all holding back" Windows tablets from doing better.
Do you think 2013 will be the year Android tablets take away the iPad's crown as king of the tablet market? Share your thoughts in the comments.
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