Androids sold more than iPads in 2013 as Google overtook Apple in the tablet sector for the first time.
Industry analyst Gartner said that Android tablets accounted for 61.9 percent of the global market, or nearly 121 million units sold.
Overall, just over 195.4 million units with various operating systems were sold, including 70 million with Apple’s iOS. That accounted for 36 percent of the market, putting iPads well behind Android tablets.
Apple basically created the market in April 2010 when it released the first iPad.
In 2012, Android had caught up, with 45.8 percent of the market versus 52.8 percent from Apple.
In 2013, tablets became a mainstream phenomenon, with a vast choice of Android-based tablets being within the budget of mainstream consumers while still offering adequate specifications,“ said Roberta Cozza, research director at Gartner, in a statement. ”As the Android tablet market becomes highly commoditized, in 2014, it will be critical for vendors to focus on device experience and meaningful technology and ecosystem value — beyond just hardware and cost — to ensure brand loyalty and improved margins."
Microsoft, meanwhile, stayed far behind Android and iOS with just 2.1 percent of the tablets sold.
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