Android Slips But Continues To Dominate the Tablet Market in Q4 2013 with 62 Percent Share of Global Tablet Shipments

Boston, MA - January 27, 2014 - According to the latest research from Strategy Analytics, global tablet shipments reached 76.8 million units in the fourth quarter of 2013. Android retained its leadership position with a 62 percent global market share, as Apple iOS increased to 34 percent. Windows declined to 4 percent of global Q4 2013 tablet shipments.

Peter King, Director of Tablets at Strategy Analytics, said "Global Branded Tablet shipments reached 58 million units in Q4 2013, up 24 percent from 46.7 million in Q4 2012." Adding in Whitebox Tablets, Global Total Tablet shipments reached 76.8 million units in Q4 2013, up 20 percent from 64.1 million units in Q4 2012.

Apple's new iPad Air and iPad Mini allowed iOS Tablets to grow share by 7 percent in the fourth quarter of 2013 (relative to Q3 2013), in doing so taking share away from Android and Windows OS Tablets. King added that "while the new models put a stop to two successive quarters of iOS market share loss (Q2 and Q3 2013), the companies once-per-year Tablet refresh strategy is likely to result in it dropping share as Android vendors refresh in Q2 and Q3." The new Windows RT Tablets from Nokia had a limited effect for Windows based Tablets in the fourth quarter.

Exhibit 1: Global Total Tablet OS Market Share in Q4 2013 (Preliminary)

On the annual basis, Global Tablet shipments for 2013 reached 227 million units, up 33 percent from 170.9 million units in 2012. Android continued its dominance as a result of the sheer scale and variety of offerings in the market, accounting for 62 percent of 2013 Total Tablet shipments, with iOS models accounting for 33 percent of 2013 Tablet shipments. Matt Wilkins, Director of Tablets and Wearables at Strategy Analytics, said "In 2013 Android was joined by Windows as the only operating systems to grow Tablet market share over 2012, with Android increasing its annual market share by 3 percent, and Windows by 3.3 percent."

Exhibit 2: Global Total Tablet OS Market Share in 2013 (Preliminary)

1. A white-box tablet is a product produced by one company (the manufacturer or ODM) that other companies (the vendors or OEMs) rebrand to make it appear as if they made it. White box tablets invariably use different components to a branded tablet in order to keep costs to a minimum.
2. Shipments refer to sell-in. Numbers are rounded. The definition of a Tablet does not include e-book readers or convertible PCs.