Android will be the main loser in the evolving tablet market, predicts IDC, but remain overall market leader

Market intelligence company IDC predicts that the worldwide tablet market will continue to decline, with the category as a whole falling 8.1% over the course of this year – and Android seeing the greatest drop in share over the next few years. Android will, however, remain the market leader through 2019.

The greatest growth, it suggests, will come in the so-called ‘detachables’ segment – tablets with detachable keyboards – where Windows is predicted to see substantial growth …

IDC’s forecast says that Android’s share of the tablet market is likely to fall from 67% this year to 56.5% by 2019. Apple’s iPad Pro will give the company a temporary bump next year, it says, but the real winner will be Windows, whose share is predicted to grow from 8.5% this year to 17.8% by 2019.

At that rate, however, Android looks set to retain its lead for a few more years yet.