As global tablet shipments reached 27m units in the fourth quarter of 2011, Android increased its global share to 39%, while Apple iOS retained the top position with 58% share, according to a study conducted by Strategy Analytics.
Global tablet shipments reached 66.9m units for the full-year 2011, an increase of 260% from 18.6 million in 2010.
The research firm found that there was a shift in the buying habits of the consumers, as they increasingly prefer to buy tablets over netbooks and entry-level notebooks or desktops.
Director at Strategy Analytics Peter King said global tablet shipments reached an all-time high of 26.8m units in Q4 2011, surging 150% from 10.7m in Q4 2010.
"Demand for tablets among consumer, business and education users remains strong. Apple shipped a robust 15.4 million iPads worldwide and maintained its strong market leadership with 58 percent share during the fourth quarter of 2011. Apple shrugged off the much-hyped threat from entry-level Android models this quarter," said King.
Strategy Analytics Executive Director Neil Mawston said Android captured a record 39% share of global tablet shipments in Q4 2011, rising from 29% a year earlier.
"Global Android tablet shipments tripled annually to 10.5 million units. Dozens of Android models distributed across multiple countries by numerous brands such as Amazon, Samsung, Asus and others have been driving volumes," added Mawston.
