Apple tablet sales may have been lower this past quarter than analysts expected, but usage of the tablet remains strong. According to a recent Chitika Insights report, the iPad accounted for more than three quarters of all U.S. and Canadian tablet-based Web traffic in April. Chitika derived this traffic data by sampling tens of millions U.S. and Canadian tablet online impressions across its ad network during the first week of April 2014.

chitika-tablet-2014-april
The iPad is the dominant tablet in North America with a mobile web traffic share of 77 percent as compared to 8.3 percent from number two Samsung. Amazon's Kindle Fire devices generated 6.3 percent of web traffic, while Google's Nexus tablets accounedt for 2.2 percent. The remaining tablets from Microsoft, Asus, Acer and others contributed 4.5 percent combined.

chitika-tablet-april-2014-2013
Though the iPad is the market leader with significantly more web traffic than all the other manufacturers combined, the tablet's traffic share fell slightly year over year from the 81.3 percent measured in April 2013. Samsung showed the biggest yearly gains, growing from 4.7 percent in April 2013 to 8.3 percent in April 2014. Amazon, similar to Apple, also lost 1.3 percentage points year over year.

The proverbial elephant in the room is iPad usage share, which still stands at over 77% of all U.S. and Canadian tablet-based Web traffic (Section 4). This is down a few percentage points year-over-year, but the current share is very notable in the context of the North American tablet market, which analyst estimates pointed to growing significantly throughout 2013 from a penetration standpoint. While it is uncertain if Apple can reverse the tide and grow its domestic tablet usage share in the coming months, it is clear that iPad users remain the most active aggregate tablet user base by a wide margin, with that likely to remain the case for the foreseeable future.

During Apple's Q2 2014 earnings conference call earlier this week, CEO Tim Cook commented on the slight drop in iPad sales this past quarter, citing high channel inventory levels that artificially inflated the company's March 2013 sales. Channel inventory in 2014 was significantly reduced, with a balance between iPad supply and demand achieved early in the launch cycle of the iPad Air and Retina iPad mini.

Apple is expected to introduce updated versions of the iPad Air and Retina iPad mini later this year. The company also may be developing a 12.9-inch iPad Pro that could possibly debut sometime next year.

Top Rated Comments

proline Avatar
141 months ago
Well, the 'Android is winning' crowd have been able to fake market share stats by including $50 child's play toys as 'tablets'. But year after year they've never been able to fake usage stats. They'll just ignore them I guess.
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)
kdarling Avatar
141 months ago
Bear in mind that Chitika does NOT report overall web traffic. Or app usage. These reports are ads for their advertising network.

They're only reporting their ADVERTISEMENT impressions. In other words, who sees their hosted ads, on the 250,000 mostly North American web sites and blogs that they serve (less than 0.05% of the sites worldwide).

It's no surprise that in Chitika's home area of North America, the iPad sees more of their ads. Surveys show that US families with Android based eBook readers often also have an iPad. And the cheaper Android tablets are often given to children, who use them for games, or video viewing, not web surfing.

Of course, if a browser tends to reload pages as the user navigates back and forth in a website, then that will multiple the ad impressions quite a bit. Something else to think about.

--

Interestingly, when they leave out tablets, their reports say that PHONE web usage is the same between iOS and Android:

E.g. "While third-party and our own observations have pegged smartphone Web traffic share as a near-tie, Apple has a decided advantage in the tablet market, ..." - Chitika, 2012

This critical little fact has been left out of almost every fansite article that quoted that first report.

.
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
xmichaelp Avatar
141 months ago
Well, the 'Android is winning' crowd have been able to fake market share stats by including $50 child's play toys as 'tablets'. But year after year they've never been able to fake usage stats. They'll just ignore them I guess.

Exactly. Either all those "shipped" android tablets aren't actually selling or people are getting them and just throwing them in a drawer. Or maybe the droid users are so cheap they don't want to pay for internet. ;)
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
blackcrayon Avatar
141 months ago
The fact remains that apple will need to entice us with older iPads to upgrade and it won't happen.

There is very little the "old" "new iPad" can do that the iPad air and the "newer" iPads can do.

They must differentiate.

I don't see it yet.

I bet when iOS 8 is announced, if it has some crazy new cool features but wont support the iPad 2, people will riot in the tech-forum streets... Apple "forcing you" to buy a new iPad, the usual stuff.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Born Again Avatar
141 months ago
The fact remains that apple will need to entice us with older iPads to upgrade and it won't happen.

There is very little the "old" "new iPad" can do that the iPad air and the "newer" iPads can do.

They must differentiate.

I don't see it yet.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
512ke Avatar
141 months ago
These numbers reveal the lie that is android tablet market share.

Please can someone blow down androids house of straw and reveal the manipulations?

There is no way people are buying millions of android tablets and not even using them to check email and browse web pages.

All these supposed millions of sales and what? The droidtab is sitting collecting dust at home ?

No way. That droidtab is still in the box in channel inventory while that iPad is being used constantly by a consumer.

Come on on Apple. There is only one way to deal with lying bullies. Punch them back.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Popular Stories

oppo find n5 fingers

World's Thinnest Foldable Phone Launches Next Week

Monday February 10, 2025 3:05 am PST by
Oppo has confirmed a February 20 global launch for its Find N5, which the company claims is the world's thinnest device in the foldable phone category. The phone is expected to be re-branded as the OnePlus Open 2 in the US. The Chinese vendor has been teasing the device in the last few weeks, touting its waterproofing and nearly invisible display crease, and highlighting its thinness by compa...
2007 iPhone

Apple Discontinuing This 18-Year-Old iPhone Feature

Saturday February 8, 2025 3:51 pm PST by
The end of an 18-year era is on the horizon for the iPhone. Apple reportedly plans to announce a new iPhone SE as soon as next week, and the device is expected to feature a full-screen design with Face ID, instead of a Touch ID home button. That means Apple will no longer sell any new iPhone models with a home button, for the first time since the original iPhone launched. The home button...
m2 macbook air blue

M4 MacBook Air Release Continues to Appear Imminent

Monday February 10, 2025 10:56 am PST by
There continue to be signs of a new MacBook Air with an M4 chip, indicating that we could see the machine launch in the not too distant future. A private account on X today shared the identifiers that the MacBook Air will use, and those identifiers correspond to the M4 chip. According to the source, both the 13-inch MacBook Air and the 15-inch MacBook Air will be equipped with Apple's...
watchOS 11 Thumb 2 1

Apple Releases watchOS 11.3.1

Monday February 10, 2025 10:04 am PST by
Apple today released watchOS 11.3.1, a minor update to the operating system that runs on the Apple Watch. watchOS 11.3.1 is compatible with the Apple Watch Series 6 and later, all Apple Watch Ultra models, and the Apple Watch SE 2. watchOS 11.3.1 can be downloaded by opening up the Apple Watch app and going to General > Software Update. To install the new software, the Apple Watch needs to...
sequoia

Apple Releases macOS Sequoia 15.3.1

Monday February 10, 2025 10:11 am PST by
Apple today released macOS Sequoia 15.3.1, a minor update to the macOS Sequoia operating system that came out last September. macOS 15.3.1 comes a few weeks after the launch of macOS Sequoia 15.3. Mac users can download the ‌‌‌macOS Sequoia‌‌‌ update through the Software Update section of System Settings. Apple has also released macOS 13.7.4 and macOS 14.7.4 for those who are...
iPhone SE 4 Thumb 1

'New' iPhone SE Product Listing Appears on French Website

Wednesday February 12, 2025 6:49 am PST by
As the wait continues for Apple's long-rumored, fourth-generation iPhone SE, French electronics retailer Boulanger has prematurely published a product listing for a "new" model of the iPhone SE. The placeholder page says the device is "coming soon," but it offers no further information, and the price shown is obviously not real. The listing was spotted by a reader of the French technology...
Powerbeats Pro 2 Orange

Powerbeats Pro 2 Given to Customer Early, Expected to Debut Tomorrow

Monday February 10, 2025 7:42 am PST by
Apple's long-awaited Powerbeats Pro 2 are finally expected to be announced this Tuesday. Ahead of time, one lucky Walmart customer was able to get their hands on the earbuds early, according to a since-deleted Reddit post over the weekend. A leaked image of the Powerbeats Pro 2 in Electric Orange "My local Walmart had them in the cage," the Reddit user explained. "I asked if I can buy them...
iOS 18

Apple Releases iOS 18.3.1 With Bug Fixes

Monday February 10, 2025 10:09 am PST by
Apple today released iOS 18.3.1 and iPadOS 18.3.1, minor updates for the iOS 18 and iPadOS 18 operating systems that came out last September. iOS 18.3.1 comes two weeks after Apple released iOS 18.3. The new software can be downloaded on eligible iPhones and iPads over-the-air by going to Settings > General > Software Update. Apple has also released iPadOS 17.7.5 for those still running...
apple silicon mac lineup 2024 feature purple

Apple Increases Mac Trade-In Values for a Limited Time

Sunday February 9, 2025 3:53 pm PST by
Apple today increased its estimated trade-in values for select Mac models in the United States, with the full changes outlined below. Apple says the extra trade-in credit for select Macs is available with the purchase of an eligible new Apple device through April 2. The trade-in values increased by between $10 and $50. Model New Value Old Value MacBook Pro Up to $925 ...