IDC released their Android vs Apple numbers at the end of October. It’s no surprise that Android has surpassed iOS as an operating system for smartphones. BGR and several other sites report that the latest IDC number show that Android revenue from sales of tablets has finally beat the iPad. Now that fact may be shocking to most and Android loyalists around the world are gloating right now (I used to be one of them) but let’s take a deep breath and realize for a second what that really means. First off, there are over 240 different Android manufacturers. Sure there are only a handful or relevant Android manufactures like Samsung, LG, and Asus but the number of Android tablet sales encompasses far more than just one manufacturer Apple. Apple had no new iPad leading up to the third quarter survey period. They just re-upped the iPad line with the new iPad Air and the iPad Mini with Retina display but those didn’t hit until after these numbers were taken. Even so Apple’s revenue share from Q3 2013 was 40.2% which was down 29.7% from the previous quarter. Android’s revenue share reached 46.2%. Now to put that in perspective for you, Apple sold 14.1 million iPads in Q3 2013, again with no fresh iPad available. “With two 7.9-inch models starting at $299 and $399, and two 9.7-inch models starting at $399 and $499, Apple is taking steps to appeal to multiple segments,” said Jitesh Ubrani, Research Analyst with IDC’s Tablet Tracker. “While some undoubtedly hoped for more aggressive pricing from Apple, the current prices clearly reflect Apple’s ongoing strategy to maintain its premium status. It’s worth noting that Apple wasn’t the only one to increase the price of its small-sized tablet during this product cycle: Both Google and Amazon increased the price of their newest 7-inch tablets from $199 to $229 to cover the higher costs associated with high resolution screens and better processors.” The Bigger Story Samsung sold 9.7 million tablet units in Q3 2013. The next biggest tablet mover was Asus with 3.5 million, Lenovo sold 2.3 million, Acer sold 1.2 million and everyone else sold 16.8 million. The other factor that plays into the Android vs iOS debate is the fact that some tablets sold in Q3 from Samsung, Asus, Lenovo,and Acer actually run Windows RT or Windows 8 and aren’t entirely Android. Apple will undoubtedly be back on top after Q4. Both the iPad Air and the iPad Mini with Retina display are on store shelves now. Best Buy, Target and even Walmart have specials on iPad tablets that will help drive sales and older iPad models have come down in price as the new ones roll out. Microsoft is doing a very hard push for it’s Surface Pro tablet but notably, Microsoft didn’t even rank in the top 5 in the latest IDC numbers.