Android to take top spot as low-cost tablets fuel market

Apple to cede control but Windows to remain a bit-part player, says IDC

The proliferation of smaller and cheaper devices will drive the tablet market to even greater heights this year and give Android the upper hand over iOS, IDC research has claimed.

But Microsoft's decision to sell two devices run on discrete operating systems has "yielded poor results so far", said the analyst, and Windows tablets are set to remain at the periphery of the market.

IDC is forecasting that 190.9 million tablets will be shipped this year, an 11 per cent hike on its earlier prediction of 172.4 million units. By 2017 a yearly total of more than 350 million units will be shipped globally, claimed the market watcher. Half of all tablets shipped during 2012's closing quarter were less than eight inches in screen size.

Jitesh Ubrani, research analyst for IDC's Tablet Tracker, said: "Vendors are moving quickly to compete in this space as consumers realise that these small devices are often more ideal than larger tablets for their daily consumption habits."

In 2013 Android-based tablets are expected to overtake Apple and account for 48.8 per cent of all shipments, ahead of iOS on 46 per cent. In 2012 the figures were 41.5 and 51 per cent respectively.

Last year Windows 8 devices comprised just one per cent of the market and this is expected to grow to 2.8 per cent in 2013, with another 1.9 per cent of tablets running on Windows RT. By 2013 Microsoft is projected to hold a fraction over 10 per cent of the market, with 7.4 per cent of devices running on Windows 8 and another 2.7 per cent on RT.

IDC's research director for tablets Tom Mainelli said: "Microsoft's decision to push two different tablet operating systems has yielded poor results in the market so far. Consumers are not buying Windows RT's value proposition, and long term we think Microsoft and its partners would be better served by focusing their attention on improving Windows 8. Such a focus could drive better share growth in the tablet category down the road."