iPad Losing its Grip in Japan

According to an article in the Asahi Shimbun (Japanese newspaper), research company BCN announced on Nov. 7th (2012) that sales of Android Tablets have surpassed iPad sales for the first time, in October, in Japan. 


It attributes much of this to the Nexus 7, which entered the market at the end of September, 2012.  The affordable price of the Nexus 7, at 19,800 yen, seems to be the determining factor for many people.  The market share for Android tablets in October stood at 58.1%, whereas the iPad came in at 40.6%. 


Amazon's Kindle Fire, to be priced at 12,800 yen, is on its way in December.  Other tablets, including those running Windows 8, will soon follow suit. 

iPad's stranglehold on the tablet market is expected to end very soon, according the Eiji Mori, BCN analyst.

Asahi Shimbun article (requires free registration to fully access)

Android vs iOS for smartphones

Platform fragmentation (Android, Apple iOS, Win 8, etc...) will continue for some time, but Android has had a very good 12-month period, and has increased their market share to 75% of the worldwide smartphone market.  That is a leap from 57.5% a year ago.

Apple also saw an increase in share, from a modest 13.8% to 14.9%.  With Windows 8 being rolled out, we'll see what part of the share they grab for themselves. 

What we see with phones now, is also being played out in the tablet market.  Look for tablets to be the Xmas present this season.  Does the new iPad Mini catch on?  Will the Surface Tablet make the splash that MS is gambling on?  Can Android do for tabs what it has done for smartphones?

The biggest question is how this affects all of us... publishers, teachers, students and consumers.  Without any one platform establishing itself as the predominant stakeholder, we need to be flexible and attend to all users, all platforms and all devices.

That's where I am putting my money!