Apple’s share of the global tablet market has fallen from two-thirds to a half in the past six months, market researchers say, as rivals using Google’s Android software gained ground ahead of the launch of the new iPad mini, writes Tim Bradshaw in San Francisco.
IDC, an analyst group, yesterday said that Apple’s share of worldwide tablet shipments fell from 59.7 per cent a year ago to 50.4 per cent in the three months to the end of September, while Samsung’s leapt from 6.5 per cent to 18.4 per cent.
Amazoncaptured 9 per cent of the market with its Kindle Fire products, and Asus, which manufactures Google’s Nexus 7 tablet, increased its share from 3.8 per cent to 8.6 per cent globally. Apple held 65.5 per cent of the market in the second quarter, IDC said.