Apple's iPad may still be considered the king of tablets in many quarters, but new research data casts a shadow of doubt over how long that will continue.
In fact, a full 44 per cent of first-time tablet buyers in business and IT plan to purchase an Android device in the upcoming 12 months, compared with just 27 per cent planning to go with an iPad, according to a new study from IDG Connect.
"The rise in tablet usage and increasing prevalence of BYOD is set to have a fundamental impact on IT and business over the next few years,” said Kathryn Cave, editor at IDG Connect, in a press release announcing the results. “These findings signify changes in work mobile consumption and market leadership in the tablet arena.”
To conduct its research, IDG Connect recently surveyed 3124 IT and business professionals around the globe.
Seventy-one per cent of respondents said they already own a tablet, and 51 per cent of those reported having an iPad, IDG Connect reported.
For future purchases, though, Android was clearly the preferred choice, with 44 per cent of respondents saying they'd choose a device that uses the Linux-based operating system. Only three per cent of respondents said they'd opt for Windows 8, and 21 per cent said they weren't sure.
The research results are even more interesting when broken down geographically.
In Africa, for instance, 44 per cent indicated they'd choose an Android tablet, compared with only 21 per cent planning to buy an iPad. Similarly, in Europe, only 23 per cent of new buyers said they plan to buy an iPad, compared with a full 49 percent who have set their sights on an Android tablet.
Those in North America and Australia/New Zealand, interestingly, showed the lowest preference for Android tablets, with only 30 per cent of North American buyers and 35 per cent of those in Australia/New Zealand choosing them over iPad.
