Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) is still the number one tablet seller in the United States and the iPad still dominates the market. That’s not all it’s cracked up to be, however. A new report from Raymond James analyst Tavis C. McCourt suggests that the tablet market is maturing in the United States and there is little to be done to change that.
The maturation of the tablet market comes despite the 40% of Americans who have consistently told Raymond James researchers that they have no interest in buying a tablet. McCourt says that the number is “stubbornly high.” “Consumer markets grow very fast and then mature very quickly,” according to McCourt.
Apple Tablet worries
If that theory plays out and the US tablet market has become mature it is a negative indicator for Apple’s growth rates. The company’s iPad was once projected to be as successful as the iPhone. That never really happened and Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) is left with a high share of a frozen market.
The Raymond James Survey showed that 40% of people do not want a tablet and 55% of people already own one of the devices. Just 5% of the market in the United States is left up for grabs.
It’s not all bad for the tablet market according to McCloud. The consumer tablet market is stuffed and it doesn’t look like it’s going to grow much more. The enterprise market is still in infancy, however, tough Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) will face challengers who arrive with fully functional tablets right away.
According to the survey Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) has about 61% of the tablet market. The number is down a little from earlier this Summer, but still up from Spring’s returns. A solid 60% of respondents said that they were intending on buying an iPad. Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) is still king of the tablet market, despite the efforts of Google Inc (NASDAQ:GOOG) and others.
According to the survey 23% of tablet owners had an Android tablet while 21% of tablet users had an Amazon.com Inc. (NASDAQ:AMZN) slate. McCourt reckons the Kindle Fire is more of a gift given than a device bought. Purchase intention remains low, according to the report, at around 10%.
Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) is still the biggest company in tablets, but enterprise means another battle with Microsoft. About 5% of tablet owners had a Windows tablet according to the report.
