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% of first-time tablet buyers in business and IT plan to purchase an Android device in the upcoming 12 months, compared with just 27% 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 3,124 IT and business professionals around the globe.
Seventy-one percent of respondents said they already own a tablet, and 51% of those reported having an iPad, IDG Connect reported.
For future purchases, though, Google's Android was clearly the preferred choice, with 44% of respondents saying they'd choose a device that uses the Linux-based Operating System (OS).
Only three percent of respondents said they'd opt for Microsoft's Windows 8, and 21% said they weren't sure.
The research results are even more interesting when broken down geographically.
In Africa, for instance, 44% indicated they'd choose an Android tablet, compared with only 21% planning to buy an iPad.
Similarly, in Europe, only 23% of new buyers said they plan to buy an iPad, compared with a full 49% 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% of North American buyers and 35% of those in Australia/New Zealand choosing them over iPad.
Source: PCWorld
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