Market intelligence company ABI Research, US, has released a report which says worldwide annual media tablet shipments are expected to top 120 million units in 2015. While not quite as strong as traditional PC or smartphone annual sales, media tablets are emerging from the shadow of non-handset mobile devices and rapidly coming into their own, the report says. Android media tablets have collectively taken 20 percent market share away from the iPad in the last 12 months. However, no single vendor using Android (or any other OS) has been able to mount a significant challenge against it.
Fragmentation within operating system software is hindering the growth of this device category, according to the ABI report. Application developers must choose an initial software platform and may delay starting development if the market potential is not significant. Google's Android OS has no less than three different software builds deployed across media tablets at the same time. The benefits of open software platform development have yet to be realised for media tablets.
ABI Research's new 'Media Tablets' study defines the product category, discusses market drivers and inhibitors, and provides information about distribution channels, go-to-market strategies, product pricing and availability. The report also presents information about device features, capabilities and use cases, and provides forecasts of media tablet shipments and price bands.
It is part of the firm's Tablets, Netbooks, and Mobile CE Research Service report.
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