Since the time Apple started the tablet segment, it’s the first instance when Android toppled to become the numero uno tablet operating system with a market share of 68% in 2013, according to a report by research firm Gartner. While the research does put light on the growing number of tablet users, it also highlights how Android-based tablets in the lower and higher range have found customers equally.
For a long time, the iPad ruled as the tablet market’s unquestioned champion as many Android-based tablets — anyone remember the Motorola Xoom? — failed to compete in terms of either quality or pricing. However, new data from Gartner shows thatSamsung has helped make Android the world’s top tablet OS much in the same way it helped cement Android’s dominance of the global smartphone market. According to Gartner, Samsung more than quadrupled its total tablet sales over the last year, going from just 8.6 million sold to end users in 2012 to 37.4 million sold in 2013. This has helped Android’s share of the tablet market rise from 45.8% in 2012 to 61.9% in 2013 while Apple’s share has fallen from 52.8% all the way down to 36%.