Android tops the tablet market says Gartner
The company said sales of tablet computers rose to 195.4m units last year, a 68 % jump from the 2012 levels.
According to Gartner the number of iPads sold climbed more than nine million to a total of 70.4m. Meanwhile, the portion of sales grabbed by tablets running on Google-back Android rose to 61.9% last year, up from 45.8% in 2012.
"In 2013, tablets became a mainstream phenomenon, with a vast choice of Android-based tablets being within the budget of consumers while still offering adequate specifications," Gartner research director Roberta Cozza said in a release.
Cozza says that while Apple continues to rule the high-end of the market with its iPads, the low-cost Android tablets appeal to buyers with slim budgets or to those in emerging markets.
"Apple's compelling 'ecosystem' of music, games, films, and other digital content and services for mobile devices has put rivals under pressure to provide similar experiences on their tablets," Cozza said.
On a product-by-product basis Gartner says Apple remained the top tablet seller, but sales of Android devices by second-place Samsung more than quadrupled last year to 37.4m.
Microsoft sold slightly more than four million Windows-powered tablets in a jump from the prior year, but remained far behind the market leaders.
Source: AFP via I-Net Bridge