Global tablet shipments by operating system per quarter 2010-2022

Android was the leading operating system worldwide for tablets in the second quarter of 2022, shipping a total of 19.2 million units throughout the quarter. Android’s closest competitor was Apple’s iOS, which was installed on 14.8 million iPads that were shipped worldwide in that quarter.

Android and iOS dominate the market

The global tablet market is dominated by three operating systems (OS): Android, Apple's iOS and Microsoft's Windows. Though iOS dominated the market after the release of the first generation iPad in 2010, Android has since become the leading tablet operating system, a position it has maintained since the final quarter of 2012. Unlike iOS, which ships exclusively with Apple devices, Android is installed on tablets from a range of manufacturers including Samsung and Lenovo. The competition between iOS and Android in the tablet market is far tighter than that of the smartphone market in which Android enjoys a more dominant market share.

Windows carves out a share

Amid the strong competition between iOS and Android in recent years, Microsoft has carved out a small yet stable market share with its Windows based tablets. Windows runs on all Microsoft Surface tablets aside from the dual screen Surface Duo, which ships with Android. In the second quarter of 2022, 4.3 million tablets shipped with Windows.