Skip to main content

Nexus 7 surpasses iPad’s market share in Japan

Google Nexus 7 tablet in landscape orientationIt looks like the iPad may finally lose its status as best-selling tablet, at least in Japan. The results of a recent survey show that Google’s Nexus 7 is actually besting the iPad’s market share by about 4 percent.

The survey, conducted in December by research firm BCN, used data collected from 2,400 Japanese consumer electronics stores. It was found that the Nexus 7 made up 44.4 percent of the market share while the iPad only held 40.1 percent. This information comes from Nikkei, the largest business daily in Japan.

Also explored in the survey were the reasons consumers choose one device over the other. According o the data, one of the main reasons for choosing the Nexus 7 is the affordable price ($200, compared to $300 for the iPad Mini or $500 for the full-sized iPad). It is worth noting, however, that the iPad Mini was experiencing a stock shortage at the time of the survey. A supply shortage doesn’t negate consumers recognizing the Nexus 7 as a better deal, but it will certainly affect the number of units sold. That being said, take these figures with a little salt.

To put these numbers into context, Nikkei pointed out 3.6 million tablets were sold in Japan in 2012 and that number is expected to grow to 4.9 million in 2013. If the tablet trends of 2012 (smaller screens, lower prices) continues into next year, it wouldn’t be surprising to see the Nexus 7 – or similar devices – gain even more ground over Apple’s tablet.

Editors' Recommendations

Andrew Kalinchuk
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Andrew covers news and opinions pertaining to smartphones, tablets, and all else mobile for Digital Trends. He recently…
How to sync your Outlook calendar with an iPhone or iPad
Series of three smartphones showing Outlook on mobile.

Outlook is a Microsoft program that runs on your computer and is an essential tool for scheduling appointments, work-related and otherwise. It's really helpful to sync your Outlook calendar with your iPhone so you can keep up with things while you're on the go. However, it's not necessarily obvious how to go about doing so.

Read more
This is when Apple will finally release its new 2024 iPads
Apple iPad Pro 11 with Apple Magic Keyboard.

It's been a long time since Apple introduced a new iPad — October 2022, to be precise. In his latest newsletter, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman reinforces his belief that Apple will finally reveal new iPads this spring, perhaps as early as the end of this month.

The Apple expert had previously noted that Apple would release new MacBook Airs and iPads at the beginning of the year. The first part of this promise came to fruition earlier this month when Apple revealed the M3 MacBook Air.

Read more
I’m worried about Apple’s new iPads
The back of the iPad Air 5.

Apple typically releases a new version of its products every year, but 2023 was different. That was the first year Apple did not release any new updates across the entire iPad lineup.

We’re now a couple of months into 2024, and it’s rumored that Apple could be dropping new iPad models this month — as early as this coming Monday or Tuesday. After all, a new M3 MacBook Air just came out, so naturally, we should expect new iPads after not having any update last year.

Read more