Everyone and their mama are getting a tablet these days. According to the latest data from ABI Research, some 150 million tablets, worth an estimated $64 billion, will ship globally this year. That’s 38% more units shipped than last year, and 38% more in value (read: money).
Apple is still a clear leader with its iPad, though Android devices makers, most notably Samsung, are steadily gaining traction. Around 60% of last year’s shipments went to the iPad, Android took 37% (Amazon Kindle Fire included), while 3% was spread across Windows 7/8/RT, BlackBerry and unidentified OS tablets.
ABI suggests that the next opportunity is for a vendor challenger to break away from the pack and move closer to Apple. As we just said, Samsung is the likely candidate as all it had to do is mimic the success it has with its Galaxy S smartphone series (though that may not be as easy as it sounds). Aside from Samsung, there are other players though they have to put in some extra effort into marketing and distribution to come close to Sammy’s numbers…
Additional information, in case you need them, can be found at ABI Research’s website.