Android overtook Apple in tablet sales for the first time during 2013. According to Gartner, nearly 121 million tablets were sold last year running on Android (a 61.9 per cent slice of the market). By contrast, Apple notched up iPad sales of 70.4 million (36 per cent market share).

It’s a remarkable turnaround. Apple’s iOS commanded a 52.8 per cent market share during 2012 by selling 61.5 million iPads. Android, meanwhile, had a 45.8 per cent market share with 53.3 million tablets running on the Android OS sold (less than half the amount in 2013).

Gartner explained that tablet growth in 2013 was fuelled by the low-end smaller screen tablet market and first-time buyers. That helped propel Android into pole position.

“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.

“As the Android tablet market becomes highly commoditised [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.”

Although Microsoft’s tablet volumes improved, going up from 1.2 million (2012) to just over 4 million in 2013, its impact on the overall market – a 2.1 per cent share – is minimal.

“To compete, Microsoft needs to create compelling ecosystem proposition for consumers and developers across all mobile devices, as tablets and smartphones become key devices for delivering applications and services to users beyond the PC,” said Cozza.

Apple still tops vendor rankings

Apple’s strong fourth quarter, said Gartner, helped it maintain top market position in 2013. Number two Samsung, however, had the strongest growth of all tablet vendors, enjoying a 336 per cent jump in sales, to 37.4 million.

The expansion and improvement of its Galaxy tablet portfolio, said Gartner – together with strong marketing and promotions – helped Samsung shrink the gap with Apple.

Among vendors with less than 6 per cent share of the worldwide tablet market, Gartner highlighted Lenovo with tablet sales growing 198 per cent, to 6.5 million units, during 2013.

“Lenovo‘s success is a combination of launching innovative new tablet models during the second half of 2013 and the sales of its Yoga model and Windows tablets doing particularly well,” said Isabelle Durand, a principal research analyst at Gartner.

“Moreover, Lenovo’s strong R&D capabilities and its ability to react quickly to tablet market dynamics have helped it introduce innovative and attractive products to the market. However, establishing a strong brand with consumers outside China, which is especially important in the tablet market, remains a key challenge.”