(Photo/Reuters)
According to recent research institutions, Apple’s iPad accounts for 40% of the global tablet market, and no Android brand can compete with it. Foreign media “9to5mac” bluntly stated that the biggest opponent of Apple iPad is not Android, but its own people.
iPad market share exceeds 40%, Android tablet market share is only 15%
According to a report by market research agency Omdia, Apple’s iPad accounted for 40.1% of the global tablet shipment market in the first quarter of 2026, an increase of 7.9% compared to the same period last year. For comparison, Samsung, the largest Android brand, only had 15.7%, and also showed a 12.6% annual shipment decline. Subsequently, Huawei only had 8.8%, indicating that Apple is far ahead of the market.
Apple’s iPad has always been supported by consumers for a long time. The entry-level model is the best-selling model in Taiwan. Many netizens believe that the iPad is Apple’s most cost-effective product and has the best performance in its class. With the stable system updates of iPadOS, one model can generally be used for five or six years. On the other hand, the performance of Android tablets in terms of software and hardware is not as good as the iPad.
Apple is slow to update iPads, consumers may be reluctant to upgrade
Although the iPad is unique in the market, “9to5mac” pointed out that Apple’s hardware updates have almost stagnated in recent years. Apart from regular replacement of processing chips, the iPad has brought almost no additional upgrades and changes. This may cause iPad users who want to upgrade to choose an old model with market discounts instead of buying a new model, or simply extend the upgrade cycle and continue to use the old model.
For example, the price of the remaining M1 and M2 versions of iPad Pro currently on the market is very similar to the new version of iPad Air, but they have the added advantages of Face ID, 120Hz screen, Thunderbolt and screen brightness, making it unnecessary for consumers to buy new products.
“9to5mac” believes that if Apple hopes to maintain stable iPad sales, it may need to spend more time on hardware, such as launching a cheaper original iPad keyboard, or adding functions such as a 120Hz screen refresh rate, larger storage space, or Face ID to the iPad Air.
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