Apple Market Share: Apple Maintains Solid Lead In This Critical Market, Study Shows

Apple Market Share: While nobody knows for sure if Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) has any plans to unveil a new product this year, such as a smart watch, the devices in its pipeline continue to roll forward with a great deal of momentum. For example, the Apple iPad (and mini) continues to perform at a very high level.

According to a recent study by Strategy Analytics, Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) has managed to maintain a “48 percent share of global branded tablet shipments in Q1 2013.”

Tim CookIn other words, Apple is holding onto just about half of the market. With the release of an updated iPad potentially hitting the market sometime later this year, it is safe to say that Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) is hoping to grow this number even larger in the quarters to come.

During the first quarter of 2013, the study notes that 40.6 million tablets were shipped. While Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) continues to lead at this time, the company is not alone at the top.

In fact, tablets that rely on the Android operating system are breathing down Apple’s neck with 43 percent share of the global market.

In what many would consider somewhat a surprise, Windows powered tablets checked in with 7.5 percent of global share.

Peter King, Director of Tablets at Strategy Analytics, shared all of the statistics you need to know:

“Global branded tablet shipments reached an all-time high of 40.6 million units in Q1 2013, surging 117 percent from 18.7 million in Q1 2012. Demand for tablets among consumer, business and education users remains strong. Apple produced a solid performance this quarter as the Mini had its first full term and shipped a robust 19.5 million mixed iPads worldwide maintaining market leadership with 48 percent share during the first quarter of 2013. Android captured a record 43 percent share of global branded tablet shipments in Q1 2013, rising from 34 percent a year earlier. Global Android tablet shipments increase 177 per cent annually to 17.6 million units.”

As you can see, Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) sales were given a boost by the company’s mini tablet.

If you are an Apple fan, the fact that the company is still sitting at the top of the market may excite you. But don’t get too excited. When you look at the company’s market share during the same quarter last year, you will see a number of 63.1 percent. This means Cupertino dropped 15 percent to the competition.

Where do you see things headed from here? To better answer this question, you will want to check out the table, courtesy of Strategy Analytics, on the next page:

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