Microsoft grabs 7.5 percent of the tablet market, leaves room for improvement

According to data released by research firm Strategy Analytics, Microsoft has managed to obtain 7.5 percent of the tablet market with Windows 8 and Windows RT. Tablet shipping in general reached an all-time high of 40.6 million units in Q1 2013, a huge climb from 18.7 million reported in Q1 2012. Apple still dominates the market with 48 percent, but Android is close behind with 43 percent of the pie. So what's hindering Microsoft's advance?

Apple has had a strong, well-established hold in the tablet market. The first iPad really created and pushed the tablet form factor forward, as the middle ground between smartphones and the PC. Consumers began to want hardware that was larger and more capable than a mobile phone, but smaller and more compact than a laptop. Microsoft began its marathon stroll after Android saw countless products being released by multiple vendors.

This is why Windows RT was born, but is this not part of the issue? There have been numerous reports, not only from tech journalists but consumers too, detailing confusion between Windows 8 and Windows RT. The main difference between Windows RT and the full version of the operating system is the former runs on ARM chips, while the latter enables consumers to install software not downloaded from the Windows Store.

As well as the potential cause for confusion, Microsoft also has to tackle the whole apps issue again, now on two fronts (with Windows Phone still receiving negative comments about lack of big-brand apps). There was also the issue with Surface shortages, particularly when Microsoft released both versions. Everyone wanted one. But not all is doom and gloom, as is revealed in the following chart:

In 2012 Android was loaded on just 6.4 million tablets shipped, while Apple pulled off 11.8 million. Microsoft has jumped from nowhere to 3 million this year, which isn't bad going for the relatively shorter period of time. Microsoft's plans for the future? They should include marketing, apps, hardware and updates. The company needs to do exactly what it has to do for Windows Phone: pretty much anything and everything. Though there's progress, that's the main point here.

http://www.wpcentral.com/microsoft-grabs-7-percent-tablet-market

Going From 3% to 8% in a few months with scarce availability is indeed very positive news.

Considering the pricing of Windows 8 tablets, this is a pretty impressive feat.

I expect these numbers to grow as prices come down and more models are introduced.
People can complain all they want about Windows 8 on desktops however on tablets the experience is sublime...

That's true, however going from a small piece of the pie, to a larger small piece is the easy part. The hard part now is going to be getting more marketspace here, because the jump from 8 percent to say 15 percent is going to be more hotly contested.

Do they count Windows laptop/convertibles too?

Impressive! I think this number will only grow with the introduction of cheaper tablets running full Windows 8 by the end of this year. Microsoft stands a pretty good chance of doing well in the tablet market, especially considering the current cost of Windows 8 tablets.

I waited quite some time to post this:

http://gamrconnect.vgchartz.com/post.php?id=4854836

Wow, impressive growth. I must say, I've never been a supporter of tablets cause they've never appealed to me, but a Windows tablet would actually be pretty useful so that may just be my first tablet. I'm just gonna wait for the prices to come down a bit. 

I think there's actually no contradiction to his claim, because in that posting he spoke about "Windows Surface-based tablets", not "Windows 8 based tablets", and there are still only two Windows Surface tablets on the market, while this article is talking about all Windows 8 based tablets.

Btw., Peter King, Director at Strategy Analytics, btw. pointed out that these are shipped numbers, not sold numbers, and that for that reason they also didn't count so called "white-box tablets". But he mentioned that if they included white-box tablets, Android would already be at 52%, so Android has actually already surpassed Apple regarding tablet sales.

Shipped not sold.