Skip to main content

How Android Became the Open Source Tablet Champion

It happened, as forecast, the media tablet market momentum lost some traction at the beginning of the year. Overall, the first quarter of 2014 was disappointing for most tablet vendors, experiencing a 30 percent decline in unit shipments.

That being said, ABI Research expects growth to resume over the balance of the year, as branded OEM shipments will exceed 200 million in 2014, according to their latest global market study.

According to ABI's assessment, this year should also be a watershed for the tablet installed base, with active Google Android devices surpassing Apple iOS for the first time. It's yet one more example of where an open source software project becomes the determining factor in market development success.

"Tablet hardware sales from branded OEMs are likely to top $85 billion this year," says Jeff Orr, senior practice director at ABI Research.

ABI believes that we have yet to reach the top of the tablet market and with many world regions just now starting to adopt these devices, the best is yet to come -- and new growth is primarily going to be driven by low-cost Android devices.

Intel aims to increase its marketing spend for tablets during 2014, with a projected 40 million devices powered by its processors. They will make their best effort to try and catch-up with the market leaders.

However, ABI Research believes a significant portion of new growth will come from smaller manufacturers in China and Taiwan -- developing next-generation Android tablets -- during the second half of the year.

MediaTek, Qualcomm, Samsung, and other chipset suppliers are also making in-roads with tablets destined for the Asia-Pacific region. ABI predicts that China and India combined will represent more than 35 percent of 2014 shipments in the region.

Tablets made in China for the Chinese market have been a major influence in the white box (non-branded) segment and pressures are mounting as consumers seek local vendor service and support.

Despite the aforementioned shifts in the tablet market, Apple’s iPad is expected to remain the leading OEM brand in 2014. Meanwhile, Samsung continues to close the gap in second where the duo could represent upwards of 70 percent of the world's branded tablet shipments by year-end.

Looking back over the past three years of the tablet boom, the leading vendor order has remained largely unchanged. Lenovo is the most obvious standout as it has executed a successful tablet strategy in both China and abroad. They're also well positioned to fulfill demand for lower-cost devices in their local market.

Popular posts from this blog

Virtual Reality Market Set to Reach $100 Billion

Virtual Reality (VR) market growth is now finally coming to fruition. Thanks to current actions and market momentum, VR is approaching what can be considered critical mass. And, not a moment too soon. This growth momentum comes from new hardware and content releases, accelerating enterprise value recognition, and a significant metaverse wild card that could potentially lift adoption and usage. According to the latest worldwide market study by ABI Research, over 85 million VR Head Mounted Displays (HMDs) will be shipped in 2027 across consumer and enterprise segments, creating a $100 billion VR market that includes hardware, software, and services. Virtual Reality Market Development "Expectations have been high in VR for years, and even decades, without notable growth to show. That growth is finally coming over the next five years," said Eric Abbruzzese, research director at ABI Research . The barrier to entry is lower than ever, all while content performance and user experien

Human Resource Transformation Enabled by IT

Many senior executives are taking a proactive approach to digital business transformation in order to achieve their strategic goals. Delivering revenue growth and profitability is now imperative for every function, including Human Resources (HR). The top 3 priority HR technologies this year are skills management, learning experience platforms, and internal talent marketplaces, according to the latest worldwide market study by Gartner. "With a tumultuous global economy, HR technology leaders face a balancing act in 2023," said Sam Grinter, director at Gartner . "Leaders must anticipate greater levels of accountability and demand for measurable outcomes to justify new technology investments." HR Transformation Market Development Forty-four percent of HR leaders report driving better business outcomes is their number one strategic priority for HR technology transformation over the next three years. Growth in headcount and skills (26 percent) and cost optimization (17 p

How Savvy Pioneers Lead the Future of Work

Hybrid and fully remote work are inevitable in the Global Networked Economy where high-performance talent demands flexibility from employers. To enable these progressive work models, organizations are investing in a wide range of technologies to support more agile types of employment.  According to the latest worldwide market study by International Data Corporation (IDC), leading organizations will spend nearly $1 billion on the Future of Work (FoW) in 2023 -- that's an increase of 18.8 percent over 2022. Future of Work Market Development "Work models continue to evolve, but 37 percent of decision-makers in a recent global survey note that Remote and Hybrid work models will be an embedded part of accepted work practices, supported by a continued shift to the cloud, increasingly instrumented and interconnected physical workplaces, and intelligent digital workspaces," said Holly Muscolino, group vice president at IDC . According to the IDC assessment, organizations must mak