Android Tablets Steal 20% Of iPad's Market Share

According to a new report from ABI Research, Android tablets have managed to steal 20 percent of global market share from Apple's iPad over the last 12 months. Several new Android tablets have been launched this past year, but none have so far been able to differentiate itself enough from the rest of the pack. Hence, no single Android tablet vendor has yet to pose a major threat to the reigning Apple.

Furthermore, fragmentation of the Android platform has hindered its growth making development for the platform more difficult. User experience is also less consistent, holding back general mass consumer adoption. With the upcoming Android 4 Ice Cream Sandwich, which will unify the smartphone and tablet versions of the platform may see improved adoption by both developers and consumers next year.

Additionally, many low-cost tablets are being introduced that could help bolster sales growth for tablets, but with these lower-end tablets that also have less features, it could create a negative perception of tablets for the general consumer market. It will be important for the platform to pull together to deliver good user experiences to push tablets beyond the early adopter market.

Tablet growth has not been as strong as traditional PCs or smartphones, but they are starting to pick up. Worldwide annual tablet shipments are expected to top 120 million units in 2015.

[via ABI Research]