Using IDC third-quarter
estimates of tablet shipments, Morgan Stanley analyst Katy Huberty has calculated that Android devices generated more sales revenue in Q3 than Apple iPads for the first time. Quoted in Fortune, Huberty reportedly said:
“For the first time . . . Android devices accounted for a greater share of the market in revenue terms than iOS. Android revenue share reached 46.2% in 3Q13, for the first time exceeding iPad share of 45.6%.”
The chart below is the IDC shipments table on which Huberty based her assertion. If shipments are treated as sales then it’s a relatively simple matter to arrive at Huberty’s conclusion. Aggressive pricing by Android OEMs is driving sales of these devices (e.g., Amazon, ASUS).
Collectively Android tablet makers are producing and delivering more tablets globally than iPads. However when it comes to usage, at least in North America, the iPad still dominates. According to ad network Chitika, the iPad is responsible for 81 percent of tablet based traffic in the market.
The Kindle Fire, Galaxy Tab and Nexus tables are together generating 13.4 percent of North American tablet traffic, as reflected in the chart above. Other reports have echoed this somewhat mysterious gap between reported shipments and consumer usage.
For example, an even larger traffic gap is reflected in Monetate’s most recent e-commerce report (Q2). The report shows that just over 90 percent of US tablet traffic comes from the iPad. Kindle Fire and “Android” together generate 9.4 percent of traffic by comparison.
Search and survey data indicate that tablets will be popular gifts during this holiday season, with iPads and Kindle Fire devices leading demand. And when the dust settles after the holidays, it’s possible that there may be as many as 100 million tablets in the US.
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