Over the last few years, the tablet market went from being non-existent to a billion-dollar industry. While Apple has been far and away the leader of the pack for so long, increased competition from Amazon, Samsung, Microsoft, Blackberry and many others have started to heat up.
Despite increased offerings and innovations, 47 percent of the 506 people surveyed in a recent Yankee Group report said they planned to buy an iPad. That number is 40 percent higher than any other device on the market. Twenty-three percent were undecided.
A recent Forbes article broke down the report and how company plans for 2013 could impact those numbers. According to the piece, Samsung – which received 6 percent of the vote – has the best chance in the consumer space because of the Galaxy Note 2 as well as the Note 10.1. The company is also planning on doubling tablet sales to about 40 million units this year.
Microsoft is also believed to be the viable competition in the corporate landscape. This is because of the huge install base, third-party developer relationships and strong financial position. Even with that, the company currently sits at only 1 percent of respondents.
For Apple, not only is the company making strides because of hardware sales, but also from app store sales and advertising revenue. A Chitika Insights study, which measured web traffic during a given week in the United States and Canada, found that an average of 81 percent of tablet web surfing was done on an iPad in January.
It is clear that Apple still dominates the mobile device market. As more businesses embrace those innovations, iPad deployment becomes a necessary step. With the help of an IT consulting firm that is familiar with Apple products, any company can successfully incorporate the gadgets.
