The results of a new Tech Bargains survey were released today, and they show that Apple may not be the big winner in the mini-tablet market this holiday season.
The survey shows that 53% of consumers will spend more than half of their holiday shopping budgets on electronic devices. Of the tech gifts people expect to buy, tablets are, not surprisingly, the most-wanted items of the year. What is surprising is exactly which tablets customers are expecting to buy. 33% of those surveyed expect to buy Google’s Nexus 7 tablet, while only 30% expect to buy an iPad. The iPad Mini and Kindle Fire HD are tied in the survey, with 24% of respondents expecting to buy each. Bringing up the rear is Microsoft with its Surface hybrid laptop/tablet device (12%).
It’s surprising to see Apple products that are less desired than other manufacturers’ devices. Of course, the customers who use the Tech Bargains website might not be Apple’s main customers. The website is the same one that one month ago released a survey showing that the iPad Mini isn’t particularly desired.
Still, the high price of the iPad Mini and the low screen resolution have combined to make Apple’s smallest tablet just another mini-tablet in the new product category. Just this week a new report on shipment data shows that Apple’s overall share of the tablet market (including the iPad proper) has slipped to just over 50%, while Amazon and Asus (the makers of the Nexus 7) are gaining. The Nexus 7 is coming close to selling 1 million units per month and Amazon is confident enough in the superiority of its Kindle Fire HD that it is running homepage ads comparing it to the iPad Mini.
