Android devices make ground on Apple as tablet market continues to grow (page 1 of 2)

Research from Global Analytics recently revealed that global tablet shipments reached 27 million units in the fourth quarter of last year, and that Android devices accounted for a record 39% share of this figure.

Although Apple is still the runaway leader in this field with 58% of the global market share, Android's figures are the best ever reported, and suggest that Android devices may be gaining on Apple.

"Global Android tablet shipments tripled annually to 10.5 million units. Dozens of Android models distributed across multiple countries by numerous brands such as Amazon, Samsung, Asus and others have been driving volumes. Android is so far proving relatively popular with tablet manufacturers despite nagging concerns about fragmentation of Android's operating system, user-interface and app store ecosystem," explains Neil Mawston, executive director at Strategy Analytics.

Intel excited by tablet market

Both Android and Apple devices sold extremely well this year and for firms such as Intel, it represents a lucrative market which cannot be missed. "The tablet was the story of 2011, so clearly from Intel's perspective this is an exciting opportunity for us and we are working rapidly to make sure that our roadmaps and our products are fully aligned to deliver what we believe will be the best experience for users. So expect in the second half of this year to see Intel architecture based tablets to market," Nass Nauthoa, general manager, GCC, Intel, tells AMEinfo.

Tablet sales exploded last year. According to the Strategy Analytics survey, global tablet shipments hit 66.9 million units in full-year 2011, surging 260% from 18.6 million in full-year 2010. The research also found that consumers are increasingly buying tablets in preference to netbooks and even entry-level notebooks or desktops.

Intel recently announced a multi-agreement with Motorola which covers both smartphones and tablets, but this is not the only firm Intel is working with in the tablet field. "Intel has a very long history of working with Microsoft, so over the years we have worked very hard with them to make sure their operating system is optimised to Intel architecture, and that's something which applies for tablets. We're working with them very closely and we can expect to see products coming out later on this year," explains Nauthoa.

Microsoft will be hoping to make a significant impact on a market which has so far been a challenge. The Strategy Analytics research suggests its tablet share is lagging. "Microsoft captured a niche 1% global tablet share in Q4 2011. The upcoming release of Windows 8 this year cannot come quickly enough for Microsoft, so it's hardware partners can start competing more effectively in the tablet space," the report states.

Tablet market important in Middle East

The importance of the tablet market has led to some firms in the Middle East to change their approach in order to get the most out of it. "We see it as a very big market opportunity," says Nauthoa. "We've done a lot of work around our roadmap, for example the atom based processors; typically what we've tended to do in the past is to have a cadence where we come out with a new architecture every couple of years, but because Atom processors are going to be used in tablets as well as smartphones, we're bringing that cadence forward so every year there will be a new revision of that CPU and the end game is to make sure that we have very compelling products."

Tablets will undoubtedly evolve to be lighter, more powerful and have longer battery life spans and look set to be around for a long time.