Google Android Sales Grow, But Apple Still Dominates
Fresh from NetMarketShare.com are the latest sales numbers for the holiday season for Android and iOS. The figures show a definite rapid growth pattern with Android, although iOS still dominates the market. How is this trend shaping the market now, and will it change following tablet-heavy CES 2011? Here’s some perspective from The VAR Guy.
First, here are the numbers for November and December 2010. Note: The shares listed are the percentage of all browsing on the web by all devices, including PCs and consoles.
iOS grew to 1.69 percent of all browsing on the web in December from 1.36 percent in November, a 24.3 percent growth rate. Android, on the other hand, started November with a market share of .31 percent and jumped up to a December figure of .40 percent, giving Android a gain of .09 percent and a 29 percent growth. NetMarketShare also noted that while Android had the fastest growth rate overall, the breakdown on iOS devices shows a 2.2 percent drop in growth of the iPhone, from 20 percent in 2009, but a 33.3 percent increase in iPad usage, which moved from a .39 percent November share to a .52 percent December share.
So now that CES 2011 is here, will any other true challengers appear? Much of the buzz is about alternatives to iPad tablets — will they really take off? We’ll check back in another two months to see if all the iPad competitors launched and whether Android continues to grow faster than iOS or even eventually overtakes iOS in the mobile space.
The VAR Guy has got his fingers crossed for some real competition — which potentially keeps Apple honest. Competition fuels innovation. But quite frankly, The VAR Guy won’t be surprised if iOS’s use-share nearly doubles after the iPad 2. Many friends and family members have told The VAR Guy they want the iPad but are waiting for version 2 before they buy.
The VAR Guy will keep tabs on NetMarketShare as the trends continue to fluctuate.
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I have the iPhone as do many of our employees. The iPhone has so many great apps for productivity and fun that Android needs to have an “app-a-thon” to encourage developers to match the intensity and productivity that iPhone apps have. The way for Android to get a quick foothold is to have it placed on cutting edge tablets. I tried the iPad and although a great entertainment provider it was lacking in basic productivity tools that would compete with a laptop. For example, no dual cameras so no Skype ro video conferrencing. Apps like iWorks and other Office Suite tools are ok for a phone but for a tablet they are lacking. Should Android be placed on a rockin’ tablet with grea productivity tools it will capture the business market and flow into personal use where even most people will find a use for traditional lite business features.