European tablet market: The Central and Eastern Europe tablet market is taking off in a big way. According to a recent report by IDC, this region has experienced growth of more than 175 percent during the second quarter of 2013. As you can imagine, this puts the market out in front in terms of growth. Along with this, it is sure to catch the eye of the many companies that are looking to capture a large portion of the global tablet market.
This doesn’t mean the market is the largest in the world. What it does mean is that a growing number of consumers in Central and Eastern Europe are beginning to realize the benefits of owning a tablet.
Tablet shipments totaled 3.6 million units during the quarter, giving the region the distinction of being among the top markets in the world in terms of growth.
Although there are many companies that can take some credit for this growth, we don’t have to look any further than low-cost Google Inc (NASDAQ:GOOG) Android tablets to realize where most of the momentum is coming from.
Would you believe that Android tablets are responsible for 84 percent of the tablet market in Central and Eastern Europe during the second quarter? In other words, Android is top dog in this region for the time being.
What about the Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) iPad? While it is easy to believe that this tablet should be able to perform well in Central and Eastern Europe, nothing could be further from the truth. In fact, it is the exact opposite.
The share of iOS based devices took a nosedive, decreasing 9.2 percentage points when compared to the previous year.
Just because iOS hit a slump doesn’t mean that Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) Windows based tablets are following suit. In fact, Windows and Windows RT devices saw a strong increase year over year.
According to Nikolina Jurisic, a program manager with IDC CEMA, “price matters in the CEE region.”
Price alone is one of the main reasons why Android tablets have been so successful.
The Central and Eastern Europe tablet market should be taken seriously by all tablet manufacturers. Android based tablets are in the lead right now, but things can change in a hurry.
What is next for the tablet market in Central and Eastern Europe? Will Android hold on as the top operating system?
These hedge fund managers are invested heavily in Google, thanks to what the company is doing with its Android OS: Robert Karr, Daniel Benton, Sandy Nairn, Gregory Bylinsky, and Christopher Hansen. Check back for more updates on the European tablet market.
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