The Apple iPad is basically the device that made tablets cool and popular, but in spite of that it can do nothing to stop the slowing growth of the entire segment. Meanwhile, Microsoft’s products are the ones growing and they’re also beating the iPad in one area or two.
A recent report compiled by 1010data Facts from Ecom Insights shows that in October this year, Microsoft beat Apple in online tablet sales. The data is obtained by anonymously tracking the online behaviour of millions of online shoppers in the US. The top 100 online mass retailers in USA were surveyed and the estimations are pretty pertinent.
October was the month when Microsoft sold most tablets in USA, while Apple seemed to register a drop. Amazon also grew a bit, but not close to its peak in July or February. Microsoft’s October growth comes after they debuted the Surface Pro 4 and Surface Book earlier in that month, although Apple also unveiled the iPad Pro a bit before.
Microsoft has another advantage on its side: the highest average selling price for the last 12 months in the tablets area: $844, while Apple is at $392. Amazon gets much less profit, with $150 average price. Key products like the Surface Pro 3, Surface Pro 4 and iPad Mini 4 were hot items in this last period. Of course, Apple remains dominant in the tablet market share, with 34% of the market, while Microsoft has 19% and Amazon 11%.
The future holds many Windows 10 hybrids and bigger sales for Microsoft, so Apple has all the reason to be worried.
