Hi °C | Lo °C APPLE shares dipped again yesterday amid reports that its iPad had been overtaken by tablets running Google's Android operating system.
In a note to clients, research firm International Data Corp said iPad shipments are expected to account for 46pc of the market in 2013, down from 51pc last year, IDC said. Devices running Android are expected to grow their market share to 49pc this year from 42 pc last year.
IDC also raised its 2013 tablet shipment forecast to 190.9 million units, up from its previous forecast of 172.4 million. It did not say how many tablets were shipped last year.
Google's Nexus 7 tablet and Amazon.com's Kindle, which uses its own customisation of Android, made major inroads with consumers last year. In November, Apple launched its own foray into smaller-sized tablets with the iPad mini.
"One in every two tablets shipped this quarter was below 8 inches in screen size. In terms of shipments, we expect smaller tablets to continue growing in 2013 and beyond," IDC said.
IDC added that tablets running Microsoft's Windows 8 platform would grow market share from 1pc to 7.4pc in 2017.
Irish Independent
