Apple Inc.(NASDAQ:AAPL)’s iPad Needs to Struggle to Catch up to Android

The imminent launch of a mini iPad from Apple Inc.(NASDAQ:AAPL) has been doing the rounds for quite some time. However, The Pew Research Center has reported that Apple lost a chunk of market share in the US that belonged to iPad due to sales of Android-based tablets shooting up. The drop was from 81% to 52%.

Apparently Android-based tablets had captured market shares even before the launch of the tablet devices, Google Nexus 7 and Amazon Kindle Fire HD, both of which run on Android. Statistics show that among the 46% of adults who own a smartphone, 10% use a BlackBerry and 38% opt for iPhones, whereas the percentage of Android phone users comes to 46%. Kindle Fire tablets dominate the market with a 21% overall share with Galaxy at 8%.

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The study has revealed that customers tend to stick to one particular platform – approximately 57% of iPad users own iPhones, with 32% using Android phones. The reverse is true as well, 66% of Android tablet users own Android phones, with 29% using iPhones.

Market trends will soon undergo a change next year as companies have a slew of products ready for launch. Microsoft along with many of its hardware partners will unveil Windows 8-based PCs and tablets that use Windows RT, in order to take on iPad and Android. Meanwhile, the anticipation of iPad Mini continues to grow as it will compete directly with Android in terms of pricing and features.