Android Snags Tablet Market Share, But iOS Still Strong

Google (GOOG) Android seems to be the emerging leader in tablet sales, snagging 62 percent of the market in 2013, according to a recent report by IT research firm Gartner, Inc. (IT) — but that doesn't mean Apple (AAPL) iOS is out of the picture.

According to the report, tablet sales to end users hit 195.4 million units in 2013, a 68 percent increase from 2012. The low-end smaller screen tablet market and first time buyers generated the growth, the study revealed.

Even though sales of iOS tablets grew in the fourth quarter of 2013, iOS' share declined to 36 percent in 2013, dropping 16.8 percentage points from 2012. The report attributed the decline to the improved quality of smaller low-cost tablets from branded vendors, and white-box products continued to grow in emerging markets.

Microsoft's (MSFT) tablet sales improved in 2013, but not by much. The company took only 2 percent of the tablet market. The report stated that Microsoft "still failed to capture major consumers' interest on tablets."

What does that mean for MSPs?

"It's not surprising to see Android OS dominating the tablet market," said Mike Johnson, Director, UC Architecture & Solutions, Communication and Collaboration Practice, Logicalis US.

Johnson also pointed out that Android may have won the battle in Gartner's recent study, but that doesn't mean the war between the two mobile OS giants is over.

"Gartner is tracking total shipments of tablets in their recent study — most of which are standard consumer-grade Android," he said. "Other studies show that iOS dominates the business and high-end consumer markets."

For managed services providers (MSPs) and other channel partners to be successful in the market, they must be able to account for the impact of both operating systems, Johnson suggested.

"Bottom line, the business use case for mobility will dictate what operating systems enterprises will deploy; good solution providers and managed service providers will adapt to the installed base and use case," he said.

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