According to the latest data from Strategy Analytics, a research organization of the city, global tablet shipments in the fourth quarter of 2011 increased by 150% compared to the same period of last year, of which Apple iPad occupied 58% and Android Tablets increased to 39%. In the same period last year, 29% had a significant increase. It can be seen that although Apple iPad is still the only big player in the tablet PC market, its leading edge is gradually narrowing in the face of the Android camp.

At present, the Android system tablet camp has been joined by Asus, Acer, Samsung, and many other manufacturers, especially after the success of the Amazon Kindle Fire and other low-priced flat-panel products, the Android tablet has been placed high hopes, and its competition with the Apple iPad is also becoming more intense . The rising star Windows system that quietly entered the market in the fourth quarter of last year also brought more unknowns and expectations to the tablet area. The advantages of the Apple iPad are still surviving. The Android tablet camp is taking advantage of its openness and low-price strategy. The prospects for the Windows system tablet can be expected. The future of the tablet operating system or the competition between the three schools will become more and more important. However, multi-party competition is bound to inject new vitality into the development of the entire industry chain.

iPad Leads Android but Reduces Benefits

The introduction of the Apple iPad has caused a global wave of tablet computers. According to Adobe’s latest research report, users using tablets spend an average of US$123 in 2011, and more than 54% use smart phone Internet users; while Internet users have a relatively small share of tablets, the growth rate is fast, from January 2011. The 1% rapid growth to 4% in December 2011. And it also expects that this trend will continue in the coming months, making the number of flat-panel users grow substantially. Driven by profits, various manufacturers have come to expect a share of the tablet market. Although major manufacturers have set foot in the tablet space, the market has long been in the embarrassing position of the Apple iPad.

However, this situation seems to have changed recently. According to media reports, the market research company Strategy Analytics recently released a report saying that in the fourth quarter of 2011, global shipments of tablet PCs reached the highest level of 26.8 million units in history, which is an increase from 10.7 million units in the same period of last year. 150%. Among them, Apple still has a 58% market share, but it has fallen compared to the market share of 68% in the fourth quarter of 2010; while the Android system tablet accounted for 39% of the market share, which is an increase from 29% in the same period of last year. 10%, with a substantial increase.

In fact, shipments of the Android system tablet began to show a growing trend last year. According to data released by IDC, a well-known market research company in the United States, during the third quarter of 2011, global shipments of tablet PCs running the Android operating system were 6 million units with a market share of 32.4%; Shipments were 3.6 million units, with a market share of 33.2%.

Although Apple still occupies more than half of the tablet PC market share, at least it can be seen from the data that the Android system tablet is grabbing the market of Apple's iPad, and Android is struggling to catch up with iOS in the tablet sector.

iPad and Android tablet competition is heating up

In the current tablet market, the Android camp is regarded as the biggest competitor of the Apple iPad.

Compared to Apple iOS, Android already has ASUS, Acer, Samsung and other vendors to join, and openness is a major competitive advantage. Strategy Analytics analyst Neil Morston said, “Several tablets for Android are available in multiple countries, including Amazon, Samsung, and Asus. Although the tablet market has concerns about Android, user interfaces and app stores, Android The current performance is good."

Apple iPad is undoubtedly favored by many consumers, however, its high price also makes many users deterred. Because of this, the Android system tablet makers have played "low price cards", and the facts prove that this is an effective strategy. Strategy Analytics this time included Amazon’s Kindle Fire tablet in the statistics. Although it is not yet clear what proportion of the Kindle Fire’s shipments accounted for Android’s tablet, it’s clear that its credit is not small.

The two major operating systems of iOS and Android are gradually becoming more and more intense in the tablet field. Especially after the success of the Amazon Kindle Fire and other low-priced flat-panel products, the Android tablet has been highly hoped and considered to be a powerful challenger to Apple. . At the same time, it should also be noted that the Android tablet camp still faces enormous challenges. Similar to the mobile phone products, there are homogenization problems and system fragmentation defects in tablet PCs equipped with the Android system, all of which make it possible for Android tablet camps to adopt a wait-and-see attitude in the tablet area beyond Apple. Some industry observers pointed out that due to the diversity of products and manufacturers in the Android ecosystem, it is still difficult to determine how far Android can go in competition with the iPad.

Tablet operating system or three schools to compete

The competition between Apple iOS and Google Android mobile operating system in the tablet PC market is still not clear. The rising star of the Windows system tablet also quietly entered the market in the fourth quarter of last year and joined the melee. According to Strategy Analytics, Windows tablets have a 1% market share. Although this data is relative to Apple and Android, it can be described as the tip of the iceberg. But once the Windows 8 system's blessings are in place, the outlook for Windows tablets will be promising.

Although the Android tablet has been catching up and the Windows tablet is gradually making efforts, the Apple iPad still has a lot of advantages at present: large-scale application stores, a number of franchised stores opened worldwide, and continuous implementation in emerging markets such as the Asia-Pacific region. Development and product sales grew rapidly. In addition, it is expected that the launch of the new flat-panel iPad 3 this year will inevitably cause a big sensation, which will also be a big growth point in the tablet field in 2012.

In summary, the advantages of Apple iPad still exist, and the Android tablet camp continues to attack the city with its openness and low-price strategy. Although the share of Windows Tablets is still small, the outlook is still promising. Driven by many factors, the future of the tablet operating system or will go Apple, Google, Microsoft's top three new situation, diversity will also be the general trend.