Strategy Analytics released the latest "Tablet Operating System Forecast" report and from the looks of it, Windows tablets are growing in popularity at an accelerated rate.
When it comes to sales of Windows tablets, numbers from the first nine months of 2014 show a year on year increase of 58 percent. Marketing experts estimate that the total number of Windows slates to be sold in 2015 is 22 million.
If the predictions are correct, Microsoft will have ten percent of the tablet market share, slightly less than half of Apple's score of 22 percent. Android is still king of the hill, with 68 percent of global tablets running on the system.
A multi-annual analysis, however, shows that in 2019 Microsoft will register more than double its 2015 record of 49 million Windows-powered slates sold. This will give the company 18 percent of the tablet market, while Apple is forecasted to have a stable 23 percent. From the three main rivals, Google's presence will shrink to 59 percent, experts in the field stated.
Strategy Analytics acknowledges that Apple will penetrate deeper into the enterprise and prosumer niches, yet it explains that the iPad Pro will not be the game changer Apple is hoping for. The sales of Apple-manufactured slates have been sinking constantly since the start of 2014, and the Cupertino-based company hopes that the iPad Pro would turn the tides.
One reason why the analysts think Windows will increase its sales relates to Microsoft's pricing policies. Microsoft places itself between Android and Apple in terms of costs. Despite the fact that a Windows-powered tablet tends to be more expensive than an Android-backed one, there are many budget variants running on Microsoft's popular OS.
"Windows devices now run the gamut from 2-in-1 Tablets by E-Fun in the US starting at $139 [around £90, or AU$190] retail, to Microsoft's Surface Book starting at $1,499 [around £990, or AU$2,080] retail," Eric Smith, Senior Analyst at Strategy Analytics, underlined.
Such a wide variety of devices is prone to reach a larger audience and secure a growing market share.
"Windows Tablets take significant market share from Android Tablets on the low end and compete head-to-head with iPad in the high and premium segments," Smith concluded.
