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Topic: iPad

IDG: More future tablet buyers will opt for Android over iPad

Summary: IDG predicts that business tablet buyers are going to gravitate towards Android more over the next year, going sharply against current trends favoring the iPad.

Rachel King

By for Between the Lines |

Android is poised to outpace iPad sales in the enterprise market within the next 12 months, according to technology media company International Data Group.

For reference, IDG polled 3,124 IT and business professionals worldwide. Approximately 71 percent of respondents said they own a tablet, and 51 percent of that group have an iPad. But more first-time buyers replied that they would get an Android-based model in the next year at 44 percent of the group, compared to only 27 percent for the iPad.

Kathryn Cave, an editor at IDG Connect, explained in the report that BYOD is going to play heavily into this trend.

"These findings signify changes in work mobile consumption and market leadership in the tablet arena," Cave continued. "They also have implications for business in emerging regions, IT security and marketers worldwide."

However, these findings go sharply against many reports finding that the iPad, which at the heart of things is still a consumer product, is the go-to tablet in the enterprise world currently.

It might be a bit outdated now, but last October, Good Technology published a report finding that the iPad was the primary driver for iOS in the enterprise space. At that time, iOS tablets reportedly represented over 96 percent of total business tablet activations, while Android accounted for roughly the remaining 4 percent.

Although IDG's predictions would be revealed to be true or not at least a year from now, it still seems like quite a turnaround from figures like this that quickly. Although Android dominates the smartphone market, iOS is still the undisputed leader. Surely, that could change over the next five years, but one year seems almost too optimistic or drastic, depending on how you want to look at it.

Nevertheless, geography might be the linchpin for Android here -- especially in developing markets where cheaper Android tablets could really soar. For example, IDG found that Android is the likely choice for the highest proportion of future buyers in Africa, but preference for an iPad was much higher in North America and Australia/New Zealand.

Seeing how it doesn't look like Apple is going to price a new iPad below $499 anytime soon, Android could corner developing markets around the world thanks to tablets priced at $199 and lower. If that is the case, then we could definitely see Android outpace iOS in the global business tablet market.

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Topic: iPad

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79 comments
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  • How many times has IDG been right? More importantly perhaps...

    How many times has IDG been wrong?

    Pagan jim
    James Quinn
    Reply Vote

    • so you're saying they can't be right?

      just asking
      William Farrel
      Reply Vote

      • Oh they can

        But even a stopped clock is right twice a day.

        Anyway, a year from now the leading tablet form factor in business will probably be the combined versions of Windows (8 and RT).
        x I'm tc
        Reply Vote

      • Not at all... However there is a very long history with Apple

        and countless negative statements to that companies future going back many a decade now. The "logic" and or "trends" all pointed to a certain negative result for Apple that has yet to be proven true so why assume so now? Also my original question was fair based on IDG's history of predictions based on current "trends" how often have they been proven wrong and or right? Can't someone look that up...I'm fairly confident in one of two things. A: Apple will continue to do well in sales of the iPad. B: Apple may actually loose in terms of volume to the army of android tablets out there but remain the real money maker making the whole market share argument silly. Yay I sell more or am part of a vast army of OEM's who sell more in shear volume than Apple but over all make far less than Apple!!!! Oh yeah... Not so much yay is that? So since I'm confident in one of those two outcomes based on trends I've seen over the past decade I'm not concerned about IDG's prediction one way or the other but I'd like to know if they do often prove right and or wrong maybe we can stop listening too them and move on or maybe they are actually right most of the time I don't know myself?

        Pagan jim
        James Quinn
        Reply Vote

      • This isn't a Facebook status update, Jim...

        ..you can actually press "Enter" and create a new line in the comment box.. Just sayin'
        daftkey
        Reply Vote

    • Yep

      More apologetics... Look, It is their opinion... Right or wrong doesn't matter, they are just looking at trends and trends favor the bottom line.
      slickjim
      Reply Vote

      • The question remains... How often has looking at

        "trends" proven accurate especially in IDG's case? I expect we have a history that can be looked up here don't we? What I find amusing is nobody has yet to do so though several have commented negatively to my original question yet given not a shred of evidence to counterL:)

        Pagan jim
        James Quinn
        Reply Vote

      • They sell thier opinion to manufactures.

        So it is an opinion based on a strong profit motive.
        Bruizer
        Reply Vote

      • They're not looking at trends; read the article

        [i]"For reference, IDG polled 3,124 IT and business professionals worldwide."[/i] Polls of opinions do not always match trends or even come close. Android still has a long way to go to even become competitive with the iPad and very soon a new, very old player in the OS wars will be showing up with something far more compatible with the existing Windows environments in the enterprise. Personally, I see Android falling to third place within 5 years and possibly sooner.
        Vulpinemac
        Reply Vote

      • Wow, what a surprise

        Bruizer shows up to defend Apple.
        slickjim
        Reply Vote

      • Umm

        Vulpine, trends towards the bottom line will always be business as usual... Why do you think apple makes consumers their primary targets?
        slickjim
        Reply Vote

    • IDG's prediction isn't a guess or something they just made up

      It's based on a poll. If the poll was properly done, with random sampling and weighting by market if necessary, then 3124 people is probably enough to get reasonably accurate results. (If the poll wasn't properly done, it's completely meaningless.)

      The caveat is that it's a snapshot of purchasing intentions right now. Individual consumers, unlike firms, change their purchasing plans all the time, so what they plan to do over the next 12 months may be quite different from what they actually end up doing. That's why these forecasts in consumer markets (the ones Apple do well in) are far less informative than forecasts in business markets.
      WilErz
      Reply Vote

      • Bad pool

        The pool is executed wrong. The data is interpreted incorrectly.

        So, IDC asked a number of "IT people" what *they* purchased for themselves. Most of those people answered "Android". So what?

        The days of geeks recommending computers in the enterprises are long gone. In order for new technology to be implemented in the enterprise, it needs to meet certain criteria. It has to either

        - increase profitability;
        - reduce costs;
        - make the company more competitive.

        There are no other reasons, ever, than any sane business will use to invest in new technology. Android or iOS, or Windows RT it is going to cost a lot to implement tablets in existing enterprises.

        So no, all this is an void opinion by IDC, which just like all other IDC opinions are probably just paid advertising.
        danbi
        Reply Vote

      • Different interpretations

        @ danbi

        As I read it, IDG (not IDC) are claiming: (1) that many IT and business professionals (not geeks or support staff) have bought tablets, which they bring to work and use for work; (2) these professionals are moving from iPads to Android tablets; (3) the use of personal Android tablets by professional users they support will influence IT departments' buying decisions.

        The first two claims follow from their poll, if it was correctly randomised etc., and indicate Android is gaining share amongst IT and business professionals. The third claim is extrapolation. Why would it happen? Well, IT departments generally prefer employees to use equipment controlled by them (the IT department), because it tends to reduce support issues, security problems, etc., which keeps IT costs down (support is expensive). If IT departments want to convince users to stop using personal tablets, they'll have to offer equivalent devices. Otherwise, employees will still use their own devices rather than the ones they're given by the IT department.

        PS I hope IDG's prediction is wrong, but that doesn't make their argument invalid.
        WilErz
        Reply Vote

      • Nice try

        Danbi, maybe they don't trust your decisions anymore but, I am asked all the time what phones or Tablets I would recommend...

        Everytime, I recommend Android Phones and my tablet recommendations are mixed. Typically though, people tend to buy what I recommend. This is why in my office, Android Tablets are as plentiful as any Apple Tablets.
        slickjim
        Reply Vote

    • To the best of my knowledge IDG has not been correct once...

      ... in the last 5 years if not longer. They've been making this specific claim for at least the last two years with no success.

      No, what I expect to see is Win8RT become the real competitor to Apple's iPad and if so, the halo effect could well have Windows smartphones start eating away at Android's lead in that market. Quite honestly the only reason Android succeeded on phones is that they averaged much less than half the price of the iPhone.
      Vulpinemac
      Reply Vote

      • Sort of

        The primary reasons Android has gained so much market share are:

        - Apple is restricting their market to specific "safe" and "profitable" segments.
        - The smartphone/tablet market is by far bigger than what Apple is targeting.
        - There is a lot of market that Apple has no intent to cover, for one reason or another.

        The Nature does not let empty spaces exist. As much as they could, Android filled the empty space. Microsoft will fill part of the rest with Windows. For few years, the tablet maker will be bigger than the abilities of any participant to fill it.
        danbi
        Reply Vote

      • Fanboy anguish

        I have an iPad and Sony Android tablet. Inspite of the uneducated trolls bashing Android. I like my Sony tablet very much and prefer it over iPad. I will not touch a Windows tablet with a barge pole as it is normal bloated Windows operating system in a tablet which costs two to three times an iPad.

        There are millions of Java developers and from enterprise point of view Android is a good match. From what I see MS is still playing catch up by a long way. If they cannot do something soon they will be left with only their enterprise customers. This will put them in the same boat as RIM.
        Van Der
        Reply Vote

      • Negative

        I'm starting to wonder if people can read simple numbers at this point. The high end Android devices cost as much if not more than iPhones. An iPhone 4 at this point can be had for $49. Look for a high end Android phone at that price that's not on sale. And no one is buying the low end cheap phones. I've said many times to ask any dev about the spread of devices downloading their apps. But then a couple of devs let "slip" that info when discussing fragmentation. And while all the Android nay sayers were focused on the number of devices they completely missed that the devices were dominated totally by high end devices. Continuing this myth isn't going to help Apple so I fail to see why people keep spreading it. More people are buying a full priced Droid Razrr MAXX on Verizon than they are $49 iPhone 4's.
        storm14k
        Reply Vote

  • Is it really surprising?

    With the "people with lots of money to throw at expensive toys" market getting saturated, it wouldn't surprise me to see an explosion of growth in low-end devices, a market Apple doesn't compete in. Most likely these will be running some flavor of Android. Windows devices are going to come in somewhere between the two extremes and are more likely to capture a higher percentage of the enterprise market. Well, the enterprise-supported market. Those companies who think BYOD means "screw the little guys!" will probably be another source of Android tablet customers as the downtrodden seek to minimize their financial burden but still have a minimum requirement of what they need.
    jvitous
    Reply Vote
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