Close
  • Latest News
  • Big Data and Analytics
  • Cloud
  • Networking
  • Cybersecurity
  • Applications
  • IT Management
  • Storage
  • Sponsored
  • Mobile
  • Small Business
  • Development
  • Database
  • Servers
  • Android
  • Apple
  • Innovation
  • Blogs
  • PC Hardware
  • Reviews
  • Search Engines
  • Virtualization
Read Down
Sign in
Close
Welcome!Log into your account
Forgot your password?
Read Down
Password recovery
Recover your password
Close
Search
Logo
Logo
  • Latest News
  • Big Data and Analytics
  • Cloud
  • Networking
  • Cybersecurity
  • Applications
  • IT Management
  • Storage
  • Sponsored
  • Mobile
  • Small Business
  • Development
  • Database
  • Servers
  • Android
  • Apple
  • Innovation
  • Blogs
  • PC Hardware
  • Reviews
  • Search Engines
  • Virtualization
More
    Home Latest News
    • Mobile
    • PC Hardware
    • Servers

    Microsoft’s Windows Has ‘Niche’ Tablet Presence: Report

    By
    Nicholas Kolakowski
    -
    July 21, 2011
    Share
    Facebook
    Twitter
    Linkedin

      Whenever tech analysts probe the burgeoning tablet market, their attention always seems to focus on Apple’s iPad and the growing family of Google Android devices. This is natural, given the market share those two franchises command. However, according to new research from Strategy Analytics, Microsoft is slowly creeping into the tablet rankings with Windows 7, overtaking even Research In Motion’s well-publicized PlayBook.

      According to Strategy Analytics, Apple’s iOS occupied some 61.3 percent of the tablet market in the second quarter, followed by Android with 30.1 percent, Microsoft with 4.6 percent and QNX (which RIM uses for the PlayBook) with 3.3 percent. Undefined “others” brought up the rear with 0.7 percent.

      For Apple, that marks a substantial decline from the second quarter of 2010, when it occupied some 94.3 percent of the tablet market, followed by Android with 2.9 percent, and both Microsoft and QNX with a flat 0 percent.

      “Microsoft captured a niche 5 percent global tablet share in Q2 2011, leveraging Windows 7 through partners such as Fujitsu,” read a July 21 note accompanying the research. “RIM and its QNX platform captured 3 percent global tablet share in Q2 2011. The first-generation PlayBook model experienced a lackluster launch due to product design issues surrounding native email support.”

      Windows 7 tablets lack the presence of the iPad or Android tablets on U.S. store shelves, although Microsoft featured several meant for the Asian market at its booth during this year’s Consumer Electronics Show in January. Microsoft is reserving its main tablet push for the next version of Windows, widely expected to enter the market in the latter half of 2012.

      Meanwhile, RIM is pushing its PlayBook as a tablet for both enterprise users and consumers. In response to rumors that the company planned on discontinuing the WiFi-only version of the device currently on the market, a RIM spokesperson told eWEEK that the PlayBook has launched in 16 new markets over the past month, with additional rollouts planned for Southeast Asia, Western Europe and the Middle East.

      That being said, the PlayBook has proven to be something less than an iPad killer, selling around 500,000 units in its first quarter of release. Nor, according to an unnamed RIM employee speaking to the blog Boy Genius Report, did the company sell those units at full margin.

      “RIM’s thought process was that they hoped if they put a product in the carrier’s hands that was less than full margin, it would entice the carriers,” that employee is quoted as saying in a July 13 posting. “RIM isn’t making any money on the PlayBook.”

      The PlayBook needs a nearby BlackBerry device to provide native email, something the source added was off-putting to the carriers. RIM has been pushing through regular software updates to PlayBook owners, but it remains to be seen whether the tablet can sustain momentum in an increasingly crowded marketplace.

      And despite all those tablet options, a small number of users-perhaps enterprise workers with a need to run legacy applications on an ultra-portable device-evidently want Windows.

      Follow Nicholas Kolakowski on Twitter

      Nicholas Kolakowski
      Nicholas Kolakowski is a staff editor at eWEEK, covering Microsoft and other companies in the enterprise space, as well as evolving technology such as tablet PCs. His work has appeared in The Washington Post, Playboy, WebMD, AARP the Magazine, AutoWeek, Washington City Paper, Trader Monthly, and Private Air. He lives in Brooklyn, New York.

      MOST POPULAR ARTICLES

      Big Data and Analytics

      Alteryx’s Suresh Vittal on the Democratization of...

      James Maguire - May 31, 2022 0
      I spoke with Suresh Vittal, Chief Product Officer at Alteryx, about the industry mega-shift toward making data analytics tools accessible to a company’s complete...
      Read more
      Cybersecurity

      Visa’s Michael Jabbara on Cybersecurity and Digital...

      James Maguire - May 17, 2022 0
      I spoke with Michael Jabbara, VP and Global Head of Fraud Services at Visa, about the cybersecurity technology used to ensure the safe transfer...
      Read more
      Applications

      Cisco’s Thimaya Subaiya on Customer Experience in...

      James Maguire - May 10, 2022 0
      I spoke with Thimaya Subaiya, SVP and GM of Global Customer Experience at Cisco, about the factors that create good customer experience – and...
      Read more
      Cloud

      IGEL CEO Jed Ayres on Edge and...

      James Maguire - June 14, 2022 0
      I spoke with Jed Ayres, CEO of IGEL, about the endpoint sector, and an open source OS for the cloud; we also spoke about...
      Read more
      Big Data and Analytics

      GoodData CEO Roman Stanek on Business Intelligence...

      James Maguire - May 4, 2022 0
      I spoke with Roman Stanek, CEO of GoodData, about business intelligence, data as a service, and the frustration that many executives have with data...
      Read more
      Logo

      eWeek has the latest technology news and analysis, buying guides, and product reviews for IT professionals and technology buyers. The site’s focus is on innovative solutions and covering in-depth technical content. eWeek stays on the cutting edge of technology news and IT trends through interviews and expert analysis. Gain insight from top innovators and thought leaders in the fields of IT, business, enterprise software, startups, and more.

      Facebook
      Linkedin
      RSS
      Twitter
      Youtube

      Advertisers

      Advertise with TechnologyAdvice on eWeek and our other IT-focused platforms.

      Advertise with Us

      Menu

      • About eWeek
      • Subscribe to our Newsletter
      • Latest News

      Our Brands

      • Privacy Policy
      • Terms
      • About
      • Contact
      • Advertise
      • Sitemap
      • California – Do Not Sell My Information

      Property of TechnologyAdvice.
      © 2022 TechnologyAdvice. All Rights Reserved

      Advertiser Disclosure: Some of the products that appear on this site are from companies from which TechnologyAdvice receives compensation. This compensation may impact how and where products appear on this site including, for example, the order in which they appear. TechnologyAdvice does not include all companies or all types of products available in the marketplace.

      ×