Tablet sales up after two years of decline
After more than two years of decline, worldwide tablet market noted a slight improvement of 0.5% year-over-year in the first quarter of 2024, totalling 30.8 million units, according to International Data Corporation (IDC). IDC predicts continued tough competition from laptops and smartphones.
The real gains for tablets will come from the next refresh cycle, followed by growth within commercial segments as more tablets are used in the education sector and the gig economy, according to Anuroopa Nataraj, IDC senior analyst.
“However, these factors won’t suffice as the attrition driven by competition from PCs and smartphones will contribute to a lackluster outlook for the tablet market. That said, there is potential upside driven by AI capabilities similar to what’s expected in other device types.”
The last time the tablet market recorded growth was in the second quarter of 2021, after which shipments began to slow due to saturation.
“While macroeconomic issues persist, the rebound in shipments this quarter was driven by the start of a refresh cycle though long-term volumes are unlikely to match the surge seen during the pandemic. However, the shift towards premium tablets is a silver lining as consumers seek productivity-oriented devices”, IDC says.
Apple has just announced an updated iPad. According to IDC, Apple had a market share in the Q1 of 32%, Samsung 21,7%, Huawei 9.4%, Lenovo 7.0% and Xiaomi 5.9%.
IDC market summary:
- Apple faced a bit of a lull last year and declined 8.5% year over year. The company held the number 1 position with 9.9 million units shipped in 1Q24.
- Samsung ranked second with shipments of 6.7 million units in 1Q24, which was a year-over-year decline of 5.8%.
- Huawei retained the third position this quarter with year-over-year growth of 43.6% and shipments of 2.9 million units. The Chinese tech giant likely benefitted from the resurgence of its smartphone business and grow its market share by 2.8 basis points compared to 1Q23.
- Lenovo ranked fourth this quarter with year-over-year growth of 13.2%.
- Xiaomi retained its spot in the top 5 with impressive growth of 92.6% year over year and shipments reaching 1.8 million units. Outside of China, which is its largest market, Xiaomi grew by triple digits across almost all regions where it ships.
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