“In December, the Google Nexus made by Taiwan’s Asustek Computer Inc. accounted for 44.4% of all tablet sales by volume electronics retailers. That’s according to a survey of 2,400 stores nationwide by market research firm BCN Inc., released Wednesday. Google’s figure beat Apple’s 40.1% share, dethroning the iPad for the first time since it went on sale in May 2010.” Just as I and many others with me predicted, what happened in the smartphone market will also happen in the tablet market: Android will take the numbers, iOS will take the figures (i.e., profit). As far as I know, this is the first time this has actually materialised fully in a market, though. Also, while it was inevitable that Android would overtake iOS on tablets (even if it is just a single country, for now), I don’t think anyone predicted it would be a single model? Colour me impressed (which is pink).
Nexus 7 overtakes iPad during Japanese holiday season
57 Comments
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2013-01-19 1:59 pm
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2013-01-21 5:12 am
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2013-01-23 6:01 pm
BallmerKnowsBestThat’s not creepy
Awwww, and you decided to be a white knight and come to his rescue. Isn’t that just adorable.
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2013-01-21 1:09 pm
henderson101Mon 22nd Aug 2011 21:54 UTC
Because the world is static and nothing ever, ever changes. Obviously.
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BallmerKnowsBest
Mon 22nd Aug 2011 21:54 UTC
Because the world is static and nothing ever, ever changes. Obviously.
Lame, passive-aggressive snark from an Apple fanboy? Gee, I never would have expected that…
2013-01-18 7:24 pm
This proves the low end tablet market is growing at a fast pace in Japan, and Apple has not been fast enough to answer that reality with their iPad Mini.
Good news for Google, great news for Google in fact, but I’m skeptical they can maintain it.
Give the iPad Mini some time to prove itself before we pop the corks on the champagne, because this is just one region.
On price, in the same feature spec, nothing matches the iPad. To effectively compete you need to sell your tablet at a fraction of the price, profit margin, with a fraction of the features.
For a similar situation, Windows Phones are pretty damn popular in some euro countries like Italy and Finland. While this region by region analysis is important to gauge early movements in mindshare, it is still just a drop in the bucket.
I’m still unconvinced that this is purely a price war, I think people are still willing to pay a premium for a quality ecosystem and a consistent experience.
Interesting development nonetheless, but I’m still taking a wait and see approach.
Can the Nexus 7 (without the seasonality boost) maintain this pace? Or were they just helped by a global recession, people looking for cheaper holiday gifts, and it being “iPad-esque”?
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2013-01-18 9:30 pm
woegjiubActually, the nexus seven beats the ipad mini in every important metric. it’s half the price, has a higher Res screen, has android instead of ios, and has a much sexier appearance (largely due to aspect ratio).
Maybe customers are just thinking before they buy.
The ipad mini will sell well, just because it is apple, but it will never get anywhere near the success of the iPod, iPhone or ipad.
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Nelson
Actually, the nexus seven beats the ipad mini in every important metric. it’s half the price, has a higher Res screen, has android instead of ios, and has a much sexier appearance (largely due to aspect ratio).
Maybe customers are just thinking before they buy.
The ipad mini will sell well, just because it is apple, but it will never get anywhere near the success of the iPod, iPhone or ipad.
I guess you’d be right, if we lived in a vacuum and nothing ever changed. In fact, I specifically address your very point in my original comment.
The iPad Mini, given time to be iterated on, will prove to be a very attractive offering from Apple.
I don’t think Apple wants to participate in a price war to the bottom, and I think that customers will be willing to pay a premium (like they do for iPhones) for an iPad Mini. Key differentiators being build quality, ecosystem maturity, and OS preference.
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woegjiub
However, Google are the ones who rapidly improve their products. Apple have been sitting and marketing minor adjustments.
The ipad mini is rubbish compared to the other mini tablets out here, yet costs more.
Sure, they could up the resolution and the CPU, but then they would need to charge even more to keep their obscene margins, which is not really marketable to intelligent users when the alternatives already offer superior hardware and software at a lower price point.
Your only argument is that the ipad apps are somehow compelling, and that there are people who prefer ios.
Apple’s build quality is relatively nice, but I prefer that of Samsung and Asus, so it’s not an apple-specific advantage.
I have yet to see any app on the ipad which would make the mini worthwhile. Everything there is either useless bling, or would work far better on the larger version.
It seems to me that most of these apps are just useless, like apps for websites instead of just using a browser and RSS reader.
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2013-01-19 12:19 am
WereCatfI have yet to see any app on the ipad which would make the mini worthwhile. Everything there is either useless bling, or would work far better on the larger version.
I don’t really see how Android’s app selection is much different. I mean, there’s a small amount of good, worthwhile apps for both operating systems and then there’s truckloads of crap ones — Android is no exception.
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woegjiub
Which was precisely my point.
Beyond having a good web browser and mapping system, as well as a couple of other core apps, it’s mostly down to OS interface and capability. Android lets you do more, but doesn’t require you to.
Meaning iOS and the app store are not particularly upsides, just preferences. Costly preferences which don’t really get improved upon.
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Nelson
However, Google are the ones who rapidly improve their products. Apple have been sitting and marketing minor adjustments.
That’s interesting. I find iOS to be an infinitely more consistent and pleasing ecosystem to use. Things just work. Apps are just there.
On Android, things might work, and apps might be there if your phone/tablet is the right model. Also performance can be all over the map.
The ipad mini is rubbish compared to the other mini tablets out here, yet costs more.
Sure, they could up the resolution and the CPU, but then they would need to charge even more to keep their obscene margins, which is not really marketable to intelligent users when the alternatives already offer superior hardware and software at a lower price point.
Did Apple have to charge more to keep the iPad’s margins when they upped its CPU and resolution? Apple has the best supply chain set up in the world, their economy of scale and content subsidization makes them more than capable of differentiating on spec.
If anything, no non-Apple OEM save for maybe Microsoft with the Surface has been able to use something other than mediocre build quality.
I wouldn’t bet against Apple being able to out-maneuver other OEMs when it comes to manufacturing and build quality. They can make a better looking and feeling tablet and still stay at the price they need to be at. That, and their ecosystem, is how they’ll win.
Your only argument is that the ipad apps are somehow compelling, and that there are people who prefer ios.
Apple’s build quality is relatively nice, but I prefer that of Samsung and Asus, so it’s not an apple-specific advantage.
I have yet to see any app on the ipad which would make the mini worthwhile. Everything there is either useless bling, or would work far better on the larger version.
I don’t think you not seeing use in something means that use is not there. In fact, I’m convinced your wrong. The Android ecosystem, especially for tablets, doesn’t compare to the iPad ecosystem. Its not even remotely close.
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2013-01-21 2:53 pm
phoudoinIf anything, no non-Apple OEM save for maybe Microsoft with the Surface has been able to use something other than mediocre build quality.
Asus, builder of the N7, also used to be the one building the MacBook Pro for Apple.
So, yeah, you right, Asus is not able to reach build quality for themselves as they did when it was for Apple.
Make sense.
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JAlexoid
iPad Mini is just not an attractive value proposition. iPad2 is still in active manufacturing and is only 20%(25% in US) more expensive than an iPad Mini.
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phoudoin
Key differentiators being build quality, ecosystem maturity, and OS preference.
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Agreed.
So… according these differentiatiors, can you again explain why japaneses choose N7 over iPad Mini, then!?
Edited 2013-01-21 15:00 UTC
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henderson101
Unfortunately, you get what you pay for. The Nexus 7 is so-so for me. I won’t rehash my issues in detail, but in summary: the N7 in no way even remotely comes close to the advertised battery life – especially when in standby, can be extremely sluggish – especially when using chrome, the build quality and materials are utter crud and there are still so few tablet optimised apps that it makes the platform look half baked.
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2013-01-18 9:51 pm
Thom HolwerdaCan the Nexus 7 (without the seasonality boost) maintain this pace? Or were they just helped by a global recession, people looking for cheaper holiday gifts, and it being “iPad-esque”?
People said the same things about Android several years ago.
Edited 2013-01-18 21:51 UTC
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Thom Holwerda
But are things the same as years ago? That was the point of my question.
It seems to be.
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Nelson
I don’t think there’s enough information to definitively answer this and their track record isn’t exactly inspiring when it comes to tablets.
I also personally don’t think the quality is there in the ecosystem.
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2013-01-19 1:38 pm
rklrkl> Give the iPad Mini some time to prove itself before we pop the corks on the champagne, because this is just one region.
The iPad Mini was overpriced on launch and the 4:3 screen means you can’t play widescreen HD movies on it at 720p resolution. I expected the first to happen as it always does with Apple, but I was quite surprised about the 2nd. I would suggest people wait for the inevitable iPad Mini 2, which surely will come with a retina display.
> On price, in the same feature spec, nothing matches the iPad.
I think my Nexus 10 would beg to differ. It beats the iPad 4 in virtually every hardware spec – with only the GPU being edged out in some benchmarks. It’s also noticeably cheaper than an iPad 4 too. I would also argue the Nexus 7 at the very least matches the iPad Mini in hardware specs and easily beats it in screen resolution for a much cheaper price.
You can argue the merits of iOS 6 vs. Android 4.2 of course – until Android 4, I might have given iOS a slight lead in the user interface, but having seen iOS 6 for a few hours vs. the 4.2.1 on the Nexus 7 and 10, I think Android is now ahead. If you like to customise the behaviour of your phone or tablet, Android wins hands down (even more so if you put a custom ROM on it).
> I’m still unconvinced that this is purely a price war, I think people are still willing to pay a premium for a quality ecosystem and a consistent experience.
Up to a point. When some Apple devices cost 50-100% more for the same (or sometimes worse) hardware spec, that price gulf is getting quite hard to justify, especially when Google has been the one innovating with Android in the last couple of years, whereas iOS seems to have stood still (or got worse in the case of Maps!).
> Can the Nexus 7 (without the seasonality boost) maintain this pace?
The thing I like about the Nexus 7 distribution is that it was available – in the UK at least – from many online and offline retailers from day one. Google have stupidly not done the same with the Nexus 4 and 10 though – in the UK, it seems that the Google Play store is the only place you can get them (without tying in a contract) and they are out of stock 99% of the time.
Things are so bad for the Nexus 4 and 10 that someone’s even put an availabity checker app on the Google Play store just for Nexus devices:
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=fr.julienvermet.nexusa…
It’s a real shame about the Nexus 10 in particular – it’s a stonkingly good tablet that is very much a premium device at a reasonable (though by no means cheap) price.
When the retina display came out on the iPad, it was the first piece of hardware with iOS on it that I was actually impressed with from Apple. It innovated where no rivals had gone and for a year or so stood out as the one seriously desirable feature of the iPad.
Now, Google/Samsung have beaten it with the Nexus 10’s display, so where’s the next hardware innovation from Apple coming from? Not heard anything in the rumour mill yet and 1080p Android phones are starting to appear now…
Edited 2013-01-19 13:39 UTC
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2013-01-20 7:26 pm
lustyd“so where’s the next hardware innovation from Apple coming from?”
What do you think is missing? I don’t really want for anything on my iPad 3 Retina, and this shows in the iPad 4 Retina which is essentially identical. Apple bucked the trend for crappy “HD” screens which others were using because they were cheap when it introduced the Retina display. Apple changed the way we use mobile phones when it introduced the iPhone, and the same with music with the iPod. The compeition meanwhile competes by raising spec to incrementally higher numbers. Surely it is Google’s turn to do the next amazing hardware innovation? Or are we happy to wait for Apple to do it and everyone else to copy again?
I’d also like to point out that IOS 6 is very VERY similar to the first IOS. This is not because they have not been developing it, it’s because they designed it before first release. Can we please stop congratulating Google because Android 4.1 is finally usable? I doubt you’ve all noticed but this is similar to saying the first few goes were not very usable and that many people wasted good money helping Google to develop a system which is finally as good as the competition. Yes, Apple charge more, but their products give so much less disapointment in the long run. When I think back to my Nokia using days I’m not surprised they are going down the tubes…You want a radio? then you can’t have email. You want email? then you can’t have MP3.
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2013-01-25 6:38 pm
zimaApple changed the way we use mobile phones when it introduced the iPhone, and the same with music with the iPod.
The iPod had in reality too slow of a start to have such impact… http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Ipod_sales_per_quarter.svg
Additionally, by the time iPod got rolling, most of the world was leapfrogging dedicated DAPs, opting for listening to music from mobile phones (in 2008 or so I read a report about how ~20% of European mobile subscribers uses their phones for music consumption – ~20% of that area alone already meant more people than all iPods ever made)
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JAlexoid
Ahem… Nexus 7 costs 2/3 of the price of an iPad Mini. It’s not like they are in the same price segment.
PS: Windiws Phone is popular in Finalnd and Italy!?!?! Sonera, Elisa and Vodafone Italy will disagree with that…
2013-01-18 10:32 pm
The device is awesome. Period. JB has improved Android usability and responsivenes so much that it’s a joy to use, and the UI is infinitely much more intuitive, with much less tapping around to do stuff.
2013-01-19 12:29 am
Those of you who have used Windows, Apple and many Linux Distros know that there is no such a thing as a perfect system; it will never happen. Windows has many bugs just like Apple or like any other system. I agree 100% with the Apple fun boys that the iPad is a more refined and polished product; however, is getting old and moldy. People buy tablets based on taste touch and perception. People like a fresh taste; iPads are getting old and Nexus 7 is fresh as mint.[i][/i]
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2013-01-19 9:55 am
KochiseNexus 7 is just the plot that mark in a remarkable manner where the PC era ends. Android with the release of Jelly Bean has come to a point of usability, versatileness and power that puts those power hungry PC monsters to little use.
A tablet can play Full HD movies (even 4K thanks to the nVidia Tegra 4 recently announced), access the Internet, can do media work (Instagram, Pixlr, Movie Studio), do some office stuff, development…
You do not need anymore even a 17″ or 15″ laptop. An Asus Transformer Pad with detachable keyboard will do the job. Needs a bigger screen ? Connect the HDMI output. Needs more storage ? It features USB, SDHC and microSDHC. You could also have cloud storage.
These tabs just focus of usability, and its good.
Kochise
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2013-01-20 9:16 pm
voidlogic“Nexus 7 is just the plot that mark in a remarkable manner where the PC era ends.”
I would agree only if we are talking about content consumption. Tablets, and to a lesser extent, phones might be a good enough platform for consuming media, but for the smaller and more tech savvy portion of the market that creates the media, tablet-desktop parity is still a distant prospect.
Try to producing video, music or software on a tablet (on a professional level)… It is not very doable.
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Kochise
Yet I’m not speaking on a pro side. My parents are getting far much comfortable and confident with the Asus TF300T I offered them for Xmas than the Windows 7 laptop I offered them 1 year before.
Installing a software is super easy and clean (as well as uninstalling), no freaking toolbars, wake up time is instantaneous, they do not fear using is as much as using Windows and scrambling everything.
The UI is simple and crystal clear, the most obvious functions are at hand reach, unlike many “pro” software with anti-ergonomic UI that nest functions into sub menus, tabbed dialog boxes, etc…
Sure, a tablet will not replace a “pro” computer. However, 95% of current users are not “pro”, thus a tablet is far enough and far more adapted. Making CGI on a tablet is sure a killer, but those are improving.
Further more than I ever expected.
So, well, I “feel” that something is coming soon. Apple opened the way with some adapted consumers’ products, Android refined them and is more adapted to “pro” consumers (app / data / files). With the Galaxy 10 things are focusing.
If only the marketing people at Google were not as short sighted and tight assed, they would have provided their Nexus line with a fucking microSDHC and a microHDMI port ! Like it would cost 50 bucks more ?
Just to push their online storage products… Stupid marketing people, stupid ! Go to the couch, stay !
Kochise
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zima
Try to producing video, music or software on a tablet (on a professional level)… It is not very doable.
Large touchscreen could be awesome for video or music, with proper software.
Not a long time ago, some people said ~”Try to producing video, music or software on a computer (on a professional level)… It is not very doable”
2013-01-21 5:22 pm
From the linked piece of news (Bold is mine):
“The lower price of the Nexus was a major selling point for year-end shoppers. In unit terms, iPad sales also increased, but Apple was hurt by a dearth of iPad minis during the holiday sales season — along with the fact that ardent Apple fans were quick to buy the new iPad when it was released in November.”
So, Apple sold everything they had. And, how is this bad news for Apple?
Though not known for exceptional quality, they are the company that actually has consistent business policies. Nexus 7 is available everywhere for a price that is reasonable. Where is Nexus 10? Where is Nexus 4(or Optimus G for that matter)?
Not known for exceptional quality? Then again, who is? Back in the 90s, lots of people always recommended Asus motherboards as they were problem free and rock solid. I’ve certainly had few problems with mine. I know I saw Asus top some chart of laptop reliability as well. It’s perhaps not exceptional, but Asus generally produces good quality.
Tell that to the yellow screen of my Nexus 7 (2 of 2 units have this issue). Other than that problem it is a great tablet.
Edited 2013-01-18 22:17 UTC
Ah yes, those were the days when buying a product from some manufacturer resulted in a quality product by default.
Nowadays all manufacturers have released both shitty and “rock solid” products, you’re buying a cat in a bag.
We always see the old times as better, that’s a common bias of our memories…
(remember “bad caps” fiasco from a decade+ ago? NVM immature, finicky 3rd party chipsets in those times)
The nexus 7 16GB is 269 euros here (Belgium), that’s about 360 bucks.
Google rips us off worse than apple. Apple just figures one dollar = one euro, google just doesn’t even care about our market … so the distributors and middle-men do their thing and collude … as they’ve always done here in Europe.
Edited 2013-01-19 09:09 UTC
The Nexus 7 in the UK is more or less the dollar equivalent, plus VAT and import duty. The 32GB is £199, which is about $315, the US is $249, but when you add on 20% VAT that works out to $298. As we will have also added import duty on top, that price is pretty close.
When did you check last? Or is it at your local electronics store that ads it’s own margin… (Alternatively take a train to Netherlands and buy a 32GB there for €250)
Because the price of a 32GB Nexus7 is very much consistent in most countries I’ve been to.
It’s a shame Google does not release any actual sales figures for the Nexus line of products.
The figures in this study were obtained the same way for both the iPad and the Nexus 7, so at least we’re comparing mangos to mangos.
Then again, nobody publishes these figures. Google doesn’t provide Nexus sales figures in Japan, but neither does Apple. In other words, these figures are not obtainable officially at all anyway.
Shame, but true.
Apple does release actual total iPad sales per quarter (although no regional or model breakdowns) and the latest figures are due next week. To best of my knowledge Google has never released any Nexus devices sales figures, in a similar way Amazon never releases any Kindle sales figures. Irritating if you want to know what is actually happening.
True, but a strawman in this specific case.
Because Google doesn’t sell the devices directly, maybe?
Nexus 7 is sold by Asus, mostly. It’s up to Asus to publish them.
Ignoring that the majority of iPads are likely purchased directly from AppleStores and that it’s highly unlikely this survey got AppleStore’s to participate in the survey.
There are only 7 Apple Stores in Japan.
Yup. And?
There’s also one internet – but as Japan is one of the most connected countries in the world, I suspect they already know how to shop on http://store.apple.com/jp
This is strange, considering Japan has a relatively affluent society that frequently goes for the newest, latest and shiniest gizmo (and iPads certainly are shiny and uber-sterile compared to the Nexus 7’s warm faux-leathery feel), regardless of the price. A quick walk across Shibuya will prove that easily – Japanese people love flashy, bling stuff. I suppose the cool-factor and perception of UI polish, fluidity and large app selection is no longer enough to offset the price difference even in this market.
blegh. Man mac lovers are so obsessed with justifying people liking something other than apple products.
Here is a theory: It is winning in Japan because people like the Nexus 7 and iOS is no longer better than Android. It is worse.
Edited 2013-01-18 19:44 UTC
Possible and quite probable. But there was likely some help from the big carriers there, who have been running intense ad campaigns for Android for the past year – trains, train stations, busses etc. are plastered with them. Also, Android phones are available at nearly every corner and in every electronics store. iOS products of course too, but not in nearly such volume and diversity (doh) and Japanese people like to differentiate and choose (especially young people are fed up with it from school and other avenues of Japanese public life).
I’m very happy about this. Real competition in all areas is positive. The previous crop of Android tablet were and still are terrible. The nexus line is the only set of Android devices I could see myself using.
I still don’t think they are as polished as Apple stuff and I’m sticking to my iPhone, but they are comparable unlike the crap the other manufacturers are putting out.
Edit: Anyone know if Android can use multi-finger gestures for multitasking? Every time I use an Android tablet I miss the four finger gestures form the iPad to bring up the app switcher, and to close apps. So much faster than hitting a button.
Edited 2013-01-18 18:06 UTC
You should test the time it takes you to perform both. Bringing up multitasking menu with either 3 fingers or hitting a button that is always visible takes the same time. You just have to face the fact that you got used to the three finger gesture and iPad is the only thing for you…
Nexus 7 is indeed good, allowing one to run proper Linux like Plasma Active.
Is it just me, or does the onscreen keyboard not work for the browser? It works everywhere else, just not the browser. It seems like the addressbar loses focus when you type. Annoying…
But yeah, the nexus 7 is open enough to make it the dev device for anyone developing alternative linux distros for tablets. Sadly, the kernel can’t change much because of the binary blob drivers, but otherwise its nice.
Yes, it has bugs. You can install a custom one for now. See comments in
http://ruedigergad.com/2012/12/21/plasma-active-for-nexus-7-running…
It’s being worked on in devel branch, and should be fixed for upcoming PA 4 release.
Hopefully some drivers (like the GPU one) will be updated, since Nvidia keeps their Linux for Tegra up to date:
https://developer.nvidia.com/linux-tegra
Not sure what will happen with the rest of the drivers though.
Edited 2013-01-18 20:38 UTC
“It turns out there is no such thing as a ‘tablet market’.
Just an iPad market.”
– Tony Swash,