Interesting first comment:

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1010data is a cloud services data insight company. Yahoo Finance, The International Business Times, and Forbes are all reporting their numbers. It's based on looking at online sales from the top 100 online retailers and extrapolating sales from that data.

1010data is not fly by night. They've been around since 2000 and most of their stuff is designed to provide insight to retailers when it comes to what they need to sell. This is an internal industry report, not something generally released to the public. WinBeta got their hands on it, but it's not a shocker. The iPad has not been doing well. While the entire tablet segment has been stagnant, the iPad has been hardest hit. The growth segment in the market has been in higher cost productivity designs that can do more.

This kind of market data has been around for over a year. It tells you why we're seeing all these "me too" Surface products. It's not just Surface, it's 2-in-1s that are attracting people. Why did Apple make an iPad Pro? Because this is where tablets are going. Few need a consumption only tablet when they can have a device that works for that AND also can get work done.

Either IDC or Gartner is showing that Microsoft is closing in on 20% of tablet share and is expected to pass the iPad in the next few years. This is not just Surface but the Windows tablets. They are the largest growth segment in tablets. Microsoft has gone from 0% to over 10% in only about 2 years.

So for those that wonder about UWP and apps for phones - they are coming because of these 2-in-1s. This is why Satya Nadella has asked for some patience. This 1010data info is for retail industry and it is how many (like Best Buy) will determine what to stock, what to push, etc.

In other words, the Microsoft Surface is the IT tablet for right now. Microsoft has managed to create a major brand that is looked at as a quality one while also using it as a halo brand that can filter down to other OEMs.

Do not be surprised if we find out by this time next year that Windows tablets overall have surpassed the iPad. And as the Surface surges and UWP becomes more viable, the opportunity of have a Surface convergence device that can be a phone emerges as an interesting concept to reboot the idea of what Windows is on mobile.

Everyone is so focused on right now where Android seems insurmountable and Apple is strong. Both will continue to be viable for a long time, but Microsoft is putting together an alternative narrative that allows consumption and production on single devices and on a single OS. We're only at the beginning of the UWP salvo.

The report is solid, but limited. Brick and mortar retailers aren't counted here - and that includes Apple Stores. Of course, physical Microsoft Stores are not counted either, but they are a much smaller group.

Did overall Surface sales trump the iPad? Likely not. But there's a reason why Apple was compelled to make the iPad Pro. The Surface is a REAL danger to them. For them to mock it and then backtrack when it has succeeded tells you all you need to know.

And the Surface is becoming the key to UWP. If it remains a hot item, it remains an attractive target for developers.