Why do Android Tablets lag the ipad so much?

[micrometers]

Apparently android phones have overtaken iphones in total volume, but the ipad has some incredibly commanding market share compared to android tablets. Something like 80 or 90%

I think that compared to apple's offerings, android tablets offer more than android phones, and are more customized for the form factor, while the ipad feels like a big ipod touch basically.

 

[Red Storm]

Well the iPad launched first, which always helps. They also have a better selection of apps and games that are specifically made for tablets. Couple that with Apple's usual aggressive marketing and brand recognition and here we are.

It will be interesting to see the numbers a year from now.

 

[zerocool84]

Well Apple's marketshare has dropped off a lot. It's impossible to compete with so many different competitors. It'll be the same as when the iPhone came out, Apple got the first initial jump but with all the competition, their marketshare will drop. This isn't a negative on the iPad in any way, it's just the huge competition.

 

[Mopetar]

To answer this question, it's necessary to determine the difference between the tablet and phone markets. They're fairly distinct markets, and I believe that these dissimilarities account for differences that we see in terms of sales between the two markets.

 

[alent1234]

for a long time the iphone was $199 and up or $99 for the cheap one and only AT&T

for most people who don't use a smartphone that much like i do an almost free android phone was a good deal.

with tablets there is no subsidy and software support is much better on the ipad

now with the iphone on more carriers and AT&T having a "free" iphone expect market share to recover. i've already read an article that apple gained market share. and they are finally starting to penetrate the chinese market which is all android now. when i bought my wife the 4 most of the buyers were there to resell to china

 

[corkyg]

They are in different markets. The iPad tablet can be used anywhere in the world at any time. Main objective, entertainment. The iPhone can only be truly useful where it has "coverage." Main objective, communication. They do have some overlap, but with different objectives. I note that Regent Cruise lines now provides an iPad in all concierge level suites.

 

[ITHURTSWHENIP]

Because Honeycomb is a half finished OS with limited app support.

 

[jpiniero]

Yeah, it's definitely the apps. I imagine most Android smartphone users use the provided apps (plus phone/email), and that's it. Maybe a facebook app or Angry birds. Tablet users are going to want more.

The lack of apps isn't fixable unless they come up with a solution to the piracy problem, and I don't know how motivated Google is to do that. Google would much rather you use the web (and/or ChromeOS), where it's easier for them to track you.

Come to think of it, why haven't the carriers made their own "Android" phones? It was easier to justify the massive subsidies when they were getting an extra $30/month out of people, but with people going from one smartphone to another the benefit is less for them.

 

[AstroManLuca]

I think that compared to apple's offerings, android tablets offer more than android phones, and are more customized for the form factor, while the ipad feels like a big ipod touch basically.

This is only true for Honeycomb tablets really. Android tablets with Gingerbread or lower are basically just big Android phones. Honeycomb is a tablet-only OS.

Look at the Android vs. iPhone situation a few years ago. iPhone comes out in 2007, first Android phone (G1) isn't released until 2008 and it's really rough, nowhere near competitive yet. First Android phone really worth choosing over the iPhone is the Droid in 2009. Since then, Android has been steadily improving as the iPhone has leveled off.

Similarly - first iPad was released in 2010. Early Android tablets were awful, with the Galaxy Tab being first one that was anywhere close to good. And it was hampered by requiring a 2-year contract in order to get it for a reasonable price. Only recently have Android tablets begun to seriously compete with the iPad, and there's a long way to go. I think the Transformer was the tablet equivalent to the Droid. Going forward, there will be a lot more parity. I expect Android tablet sales on the whole to eventually overtake iPad sales, but the iPad will probably remain the best-selling single tablet out there for a long time.

 

[ChronoReverse]

Early Android tablets were terrible and Honeycomb itself wasn't compelling enough when it was new until some patches were done.

The iPad (and especially iPad 2) simply had a far better experience and also best in class hardware for quite a while.

 

[JeffreyLebowski]

Yeah, it's definitely the apps. I imagine most Android smartphone users use the provided apps (plus phone/email), and that's it. Maybe a facebook app or Angry birds. Tablet users are going to want more.

The lack of apps isn't fixable unless they come up with a solution to the piracy problem, and I don't know how motivated Google is to do that. Google would much rather you use the web (and/or ChromeOS), where it's easier for them to track you.

Come to think of it, why haven't the carriers made their own "Android" phones? It was easier to justify the massive subsidies when they were getting an extra $30/month out of people, but with people going from one smartphone to another the benefit is less for them.

lack of apps? Are you smoking crack? There are plenty of apps for Android Tablets.

 

[JeffreyLebowski]

Early Android tablets were terrible and Honeycomb itself wasn't compelling enough when it was new until some patches were done.

The iPad (and especially iPad 2) simply had a far better experience and also best in class hardware for quite a while.

Honeycomb, I think was fine, the updates made it better for sure, but it was good to start with. What killed Android adoption in the tablet market, was the early cheap units running on cheap chinese knock off parts.
I bought one of the Super Pads and it's a complete POS. I'd rather eat the $170 I spent on it than try and sell it to someone else. I can't in good concious pass a steaming pile of crap to someone else for money.

 

[Kenmitch]

I think idevices have peaked and Apple magic died with Steve(RIP). I wouldn't be surprised to see Apple lawsuits springing up more often. If so even Apples sees what the future holds.

Android needs optimization more than stronger hardware.

A nice I ivirus would hurt Apple hard!

 

[hans007]

well, another factor and i'm not saying this is the only one is that for a lot of people tablets are pretty useless.

i had an iconia A500 and well it seemed like a toy. what does this have to do with apple? well if my A500 iconia was a toy, it is just that.

at least an ipad was both a toy AND an aspirational device. i would be given the different reasons people buy tablets vs phones (you basically need a phone anyway so eveyrone will get one) that the "this is a look at me, i have it function" of an ipad is definitely an extra "feature" ipads have over andriod tablets.

 

[AstroManLuca]

well, another factor and i'm not saying this is the only one is that for a lot of people tablets are pretty useless.

i had an iconia A500 and well it seemed like a toy. what does this have to do with apple? well if my A500 iconia was a toy, it is just that.

at least an ipad was both a toy AND an aspirational device. i would be given the different reasons people buy tablets vs phones (you basically need a phone anyway so eveyrone will get one) that the "this is a look at me, i have it function" of an ipad is definitely an extra "feature" ipads have over andriod tablets.

How is the iPad not a toy? For most people that's all it is. There are business applications for sure, but that's a small minority, and there's no reason businesses couldn't use Android tablets for the same things.

What is an "aspirational device"?

 

[runawayprisoner]

Apparently android phones have overtaken iphones in total volume, but the ipad has some incredibly commanding market share compared to android tablets. Something like 80 or 90%

I think that compared to apple's offerings, android tablets offer more than android phones, and are more customized for the form factor, while the ipad feels like a big ipod touch basically.

I think there are two factors to consider here:

1) Lack of polish. The iPad came to the market with an OS that has been specifically accelerated for touchscreen and graphic usage. The UI might not specifically suit a tablet form factor, or everyone's taste, but the responsiveness is unmatched, and that was absent in most Android tablets sold. In fact, I do believe that's still absent. As I kept preaching... "GPU acceleration", "GPU acceleration", "GPU acceleration",... This isn't a real problem on phones because you obviously don't buy your phone to primarily use it to browse the web, watch movies, view photos, or do anything that's graphically intensive. On a tablet, I think those are the main points, and if the graphical performance is only the least bit lacking, it'll be troublesome. If Android doesn't get a fix by the time high resolution screens appear, the iPad will once again pull ahead and leave the competition even further behind.

2) Lack of support. You buy a phone primarily to make calls, send texts, and occasionally use it to do other things. But with a tablet, you would mostly use it for the applications. This is a big deal, and again, another aspect that Android tablets are lacking behind. It's not that Android has few apps per se, just that iPad has far more apps, and far more games. You can get away with saying that your phone just has to be durable and be able to make calls, but you can't really get away with saying that your tablet only has to be able to browse the web. As users' needs increase with technology, so does their craving for more applications. The problem is... iPad, or the iOS platform as a whole, is a really enticing platform for developers to jump in and start making money. It's a win-win situation where consumers get apps, and developers get money. On Android, it's not as clear what kind of situation it is. Google isn't trying to entice more developers. Android users are less likely to purchase apps and more likely to download freemium titles that include ads. But certain kinds of ads are not acceptable (like ads that pop up in notifications), and other kinds of ads can be blocked easily by users, so the uncertainty kind of pulls possible developers away. Not to say that Android is bad, but that it's a big unknown region. And unknown regions are bad for business projections. In the long run, that may change, but right now, there is little doubt that Android app support, particularly on tablets, is lacking.

So those are the two key points that I think are holding Android tablets back. Many are hoping that Android tablets would catch up, but personally, I don't believe that would happen unless Google addresses those issues soon. If iPad sales are slowing down, it's more likely because around the next few months, a new and better iPad would be announced.

lack of apps? Are you smoking crack? There are plenty of apps for Android Tablets.

Lack of apps compared to the iPad. I'm quite certain there are far more iPad apps than there are in all mobile OSes combined.

 

[Suspicious-Teach8788]

the lack of apps for Android is overhwleming.

Is there a Facebook app yet (for tablets)? ><

 

[AyashiKaibutsu]

As long as tablets remain toys for people with money to burn, apple will be in the lead.

 

[BladeVenom]

The Kindle Fire is the best selling product at Amazon, and has been for the last eight weeks. Now it is also the number one selling tablet at Best Buy also.

 

[Oyeve]

the lack of apps for Android is overhwleming.

Is there a Facebook app yet (for tablets)? ><

Who the hell needs a fb app for tab? Just use the freaking website. Fb app, puhlease.

 

[postaled]

and they are finally starting to penetrate the chinese market which is all android now. when i bought my wife the 4 most of the buyers were there to resell to china

Hasn't the iphone been available for over 2 years in china? I was under the impression they got it in late 2009.

 

[MrX8503]

The iPad got a big head start over Android. The initial Android tablets were terrible and some costed even more than the iPad. On top of this Google didn't even support tablet usage.

It wasn't until recently that Google decided to fully support Tablets. So it wasn't until after the Moto Xoom that Android tablets really took off. Android was never meant to be a tablet OS, whereas Apple had the tablet idea for iOS since its inception, which leads to Apple's headstart advantage.

2012 should be a lot better for Android, the Asus Prime is looking pretty good. However, iPad3 is rumored to be the first retina tablet available, with Android following suit late 2012.

 

[QueBert]

As long as tablets remain toys for people with money to burn, apple will be in the lead.

And for those who need something that actually has real non toy use the iPad rules the roost. My producer friend has an iPad with the Alesis iO Audio Dock . He can run his freaking XLR microphone + midi equipment and create studio quality music directly on his iPad. It's doubtful a Android tablet will ever have this sort of sh*t aviailable. And now he actually prefers using his iPad to record music over his $1,500 laptop with a dedicated audio interface, that's really saying something. Even if he only represents a 10th of a &#37; of the iPad market, the fact it can be done with a toy is pretty damn impressive imho.

 

[jpeyton]

Android tablets will eventually outsell the iPad, but it will take some time. It took almost two years after the first Android phone launched before it surpassed iOS in the smartphone market. Given that all the sleek, iPad-level Android tablets only recently came out this year (Galaxy Tab 10.1, Transformer Prime), I don't think Android tablets will be on top until 2013.

 

[Oyeve]

Android tablets will eventually outsell the iPad, but it will take some time. It took almost two years after the first Android phone launched before it surpassed iOS in the smartphone market. Given that all the sleek, iPad-level Android tablets only recently came out this year (Galaxy Tab 10.1, Transformer Prime), I don't think Android tablets will be on top until 2013.

And they will do it with liitle to no advertising. I dont see android tablets splahed all over billboards on the highways and rarely see a tv advert. It sells on knowledge.