According to the reports of the research firm Strategy Analytics, Microsoft and its partners have shipped more than 3 million windows tablets in the first quarter of the year. In the first quarter, based on the OS market share, Windows 8 tablets including Windows RT, have taken 7.5 per cent of the global market of tablets. In response to a query by e-mail, the analyst from Strategy Analytics, Neil Shah said that the PC makers including Microsoft has shipped 3.4 million units in the quarter 1 of 2013 to different potential markets.
At the same time the research firm also mentioned that the things could be even better for the PC makers. According to the statement of the firm, limited distribution, a lot of confusion in the market and shortage of availability of the high-tech apps are the main reasons that are holding back the shipments. However, the classification of “Windows tablet” as mentioned in the report is still unclear as there are a number of convertible and hybrid forms with touch screen, available in the market.
According to the reports from Apple Inc. the company has shipped 19.5 million units of iPad in the quarter one of the year. In the quarter, Apple captured 48.2 per cent of the total tablet market worldwide, but the seemingly huge share is quite low in comparison with the 63.1 per cent of the total tablet market share of Apple reported in the same quarter of the last year.
The firm also claimed that 17.6 million android based tablets were shipped in the quarter which makes it 43.4 per cent of the total tablet market, which is a 34 per cent rise from the last year. The report said market share of the Android increases to 53 per cent if the White-Box tablets, the low budget branded models, are added with it, whereas at the same time the market share for iOS drops to 41 per cent.
In the first quarter of 2013 global shipments of branded tablets reached the all-time high at 40.6 million units, which is a steep rise of 117 per cent from 18.7 million as recorded in the first quarter of 2012.