For years, you were told by veterans in the industry, look no further than an iPad if you’re looking to get a tablet. The iPad has had such a profound impact on the category, even Android die-hards don’t seem to mind shelling out a pretty penny on a new one. Android tablets were treated as second-class citizens. Things are changing now, if a new report from the International Data Corporation (IDC) is to be gone by.
The latest IDC report highlights Apple’s declining market share in the tablet market. Over the span of Q1 2023 to Q1 2024, the iPad’s market share dropped from 35.2 percent to 32 percent, which translates to a drop of roughly one million units between the two quarters. Apple is still the “undisputed” No.1 but Android counterparts have started to catch up.
Android OEMs like Huawei, Lenovo, and Xiaomi saw significant growth, collectively commanding a larger portion of the global tablet market, with shares of 9.4 percent, 7 percent, and 5.9 percent respectively, as per data released by IDC. Even though Samsung saw a slight decrease from 23.2 percent to 21.7 percent during the same period, the Android side overall witnessed an uptick in shipments.
Tablet market shows modest growth
Conversely, the latest data from Canalys indicates a modest 1 percent growth in worldwide tablet shipments during the first quarter of 2024, totaling 33.7 million units. This growth is coming after four consecutive quarters of year-on-year declines and so, it’s something to keep an eye on.
Apple led the tablet market during Q1 2024, shipping 12.0 million iPads and commanding a 36 percent market share, as per Canalys. Samsung recorded a modest 1 percent growth, shipping 6.8 million units to secure second place. Huawei retained its third-place position for consecutive quarters, shipping 2.7 million units with an impressive annual growth rate of 70 percent, driven primarily by demand in its native Chinese market and across the Asia Pacific region. Lenovo and Amazon rounded out the top five, each shipping over 2 million tablets.
Both reports are coming only hours before Apple’s big Let Loose iPad event on May 7, 2024. It is all but clear that Apple needs new iPads now more than ever and it would be interesting to see what the future holds for the upcoming pro and air iPad models. Watch this space for more updates.
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