According to new data from research firm Strategy Analytics, Microsoft now owns 7.5% of the tablet market with its Windows 8 and Windows RT operating systems. Microsoft has been working hard since the operating system’s release in October of 2012.
According to the data, tablet shipments reached an all-time high with 40.6 million units sold in just Q1 of 2013. Microsoft only owns 7.5% of the tablet market, while Apple continues to dominate at the number one spot with 48.2%. Android remains at the number two spot owning 43.4% of the tablet market.
The research also points out that demand for tablets among consumers, businesses, and education users remained at an all time high. Apple sold 19.5 million iPads worldwide during Q1 of 2013. Microsoft, on the other hand, is still working on catching up, but there are still some issues that need to be addressed.
Strategy Analytics believes that Microsoft has very limited distribution, a shortage of top tier apps, and confusion in the market, which has caused a slowdown in shipments for Windows 8/RT based tablet devices. Perhaps Microsoft needs to address these issues if they ever want to claim a strong foothold in the tablet market.
Further reading: Microsoft, Windows 8, Windows RT
