Android more than doubled its share of the tablet market in Europe in the first half of 2013 – while rival Apple’s iOS sales fell by almost 50 percent.
That’s according to data released by IT market research company CONTEXT, which reports that despite the decline in traditional PC business, sales of tablets in Europe increased by 137 percent in the first half of the year.
The report shows that slate tablet sales were largely driven by low-end Android offerings with Android’s share of the slate tablet market more than doubling in H1/2013 (61.2 percent) compared to a year ago (25.1 percent).
Meanwhile Apple’s iOS share of slate tablets sales through distribution fell from 71.2 percent in H1/2012 to 37.2 percent in the first half of this year.
Earlier this year IDC forecasted that Apple would give ground to Android in overall market share in 2013, with the iPad expected to slip from 51 percent of the market in 2012 to 46 percent.
“In the consumer segment, while the iPad remains a popular choice, we have seen tablet demand steadily driven by low-end Android offerings,” explains Marie-Christine Pygott, senior analyst at CONTEXT.
“The increasing availability of attractively-priced Android systems means consumers can easily buy a tablet as an additional product to their home PC, which means they postpone the replacement of their traditional PC.”
Shrinking market for PCs
The shift in consumer demand to tablets as well as low business IT investment has continuously impacted PC sales in 1H13.
As a result, sales of PCs across desktops, workstations, traditional clamshell notebooks and netbooks were down by -12.6 percent in the first six months of this year, compared to a year ago.
Desktop sales declined by 8 percent, notebooks were down by -6.2 percent while netbook sales saw a massive drop in demand with sales at -75.6 percent.
The six monthly roundup also highlights the little positive impact Windows 8 has had on consumer demand for PCs due to the limited availability and steep price points of touchscreen systems.
Elsewhere CONTEXT says that across the commercial segment, IT investment remains low as many countries still face adverse economic conditions. “Businesses do not see a need for new product refreshes - many have only just upgraded to Win 7; are reluctant to use Windows 8 given the mixed press it received; and are unsure of the use of touch functionality in a business environment,” says Pygott.
Windows 8 share of Windows business OS-based PCs stalled at an average of 20 percent in H12013 across distribution.
“PC vendors are increasingly trying to seize the changing mobile market by launching tablets and laptop/tablet combinations (hybrids). While we expect sales of hybrids to grow over the next six months, volumes in this segment are not yet substantial enough to provide mainstream growth,” adds Pygott.
Country breakdown – H1 2013 vs H1 2012
| Slate tablets 1H13 Y/Y unit growth by country | ||
| UK | 389.1% | Row 1 - Cell 2 |
| Germany | 86.7% | Row 2 - Cell 2 |
| Italy | 88.4% | Row 3 - Cell 2 |
| Spain | 193.1% | Row 4 - Cell 2 |
| France | 153.4% | Row 5 - Cell 2 |
| Switzerland | 45.2% | Row 6 - Cell 2 |
| Austria | 298.5% | Row 7 - Cell 2 |
| Row 8 - Cell 0 | Row 8 - Cell 1 | Row 8 - Cell 2 |
| PC 1H13 Y/Y unit growth by country (desktops, traditional notebooks, netbooks, workstations) | ||
| Germany | -17.0% | Row 10 - Cell 2 |
| UK | 3.0% | Row 11 - Cell 2 |
| Italy | -13.1% | Row 12 - Cell 2 |
| France | -7.7% | Row 13 - Cell 2 |
| Spain | -25.2% | Row 14 - Cell 2 |
| Switzerland | -18.5% | Row 15 - Cell 2 |
| Austria | -18.0% | Row 16 - Cell 2 |
