Android to overtake Apple with 65 percent of tablet market in 2014

INTERNET GIANT Google's Android mobile operating system will account for 65 percent of the tablet market in 2014, according to research outfit Canalys.

Canalys predicts that Android will overtake iOS in the tablet market next year for the first time, with Android tablets likely to account for 65 percent of sales in 2014 and with Samsung expected to bring in most of these. Apple, on the other hand, will see its market share slide, although Canalys hasn't been brave enough to predict how far the company's share will drop.

This decline is due to the incoming wave of cheap Android tablets, Canalys says, but adds that means that Apple is one of the only tablet makers taking profits in the market.

Canalys senior analyst Tim Coulling said, 'Apple is one of the few companies making money from the tablet boom. Premium products attract high value consumers; for Apple, remaining highly profitable and driving revenue from its entire ecosystem is of greater importance than market share statistics.'

This incoming wave of cheap Android tablets could harm some big names in the industry, including HP, Lenovo, Acer and Asus too, with buyers increasingly opting for cheaper tablets from lesser known Chinese brands.

Canalys analyst James Wang said, 'Vendors such as Acer, Asus, HP, and Lenovo have all entered the price war, with entry-level products at sub-$150 price points. With vastly different cost structures these vendors will continue to find it extremely challenging to keep pace with local competition.'

So, what about Windows? Canalys expects Microsoft to grow its tablet market share in 2014, but not by much. Presently Windows tablets make up around two percent of the market, and this is expected to grow to five percent next year.

While this seems like good news, Calaysis rounded off its latest report with a warning about the year ahead.

The research firm said, 'Expect 2014 to bring a flurry of acquisitions, mergers, and failures as PC hardware vendors of all sizes struggle to maintain their desktop and notebook business while attempting to capitalize on a tablet market that will see great volumes driving limited value.' µ