Windows to eat into Android tablet share

IDC predicts Google market share slip of more than eight points by 2016 as rival makes headway

Android's share of the tablet market will be eaten into over the next few years as it is squeezed from above and below by Windows and Apple devices, IDC has predicted.

The market watcher has increased its forecast for tablet sales this year to 117.1 million units, up from its earlier projection of 107.4 million. The outlook for the market in 2013 is also looking sunnier, with IDC boosting its sales forecast by 16.2 per cent to 165.9 million. By 2016, annual volumes of units sold are expected to soar to 261.4 million.

Apple's market share is predicted to hover at about 60 per cent, coming to rest at 58 per cent in 2016. Meanwhile, IDC predicts Windows tablets will grow their slice of the market from one per cent in 2011 to four per cent this year, and up to 11 per cent in four years' time.

The bulk of this growth will come at Android's expense. Last year the Google-owned operating system accounted for 38.9 per cent of all devices sold. This is expected to decline to 35.3 per cent in 2012 and 30.5 per cent in 2016. (Click to enlarge graph below.)

Tom Mainelli, research director for mobile connected devices at IDC, said: "Despite ongoing economic concerns in most regions of the world, consumers continue to buy tablets in record numbers and we expect particularly strong demand in the fourth quarter.

"Apple leads the market with its iPad, and we expect its dominance to continue in the second half of the year. Still, we believe there is room in the market for others to find success, and new Android- and Windows-based products shipping in the coming months will give consumers plenty of buying options during the holiday season."