The tablet market has exploded in the last year, with nearly 60 percent growth since the same quarter in 2012. This is according to new information published by the market research firm IDC on Monday. At the top of the market is Apple, thanks to strong sales of the iPad. However while Apple is still number one on the charts their victory comes with a coda that makes it a little bittersweet.
Although Apple was the number one vendor with 14.6 million iPads shipped and a 32.4 percent market share they were the only company out of the top first vendors to have their market share drop since 2012. That year Apple enjoyed a staggering 60.3 percent market share. In 2013 that number had shrunk to a 32.4 percent market share, a -14.1 percent growth rate since the pervious year.
Meanwhile their competition saw growth ranging from 277 percent for Samsung to 313.9 percent for Lenovo and 247.9 percent for Acer. But here is where looking at the full number chart, linked here and included above, is important. Each of the competitors who made a sudden surprising leap in market share this year had almost no market share the previous year.
For a long time Apple was the only serious game in town when it came to tablets for professionals. In the last year the market has opened up with better models from Apple’s competition, and often at a lower price point than the premium priced iPad.
Meanwhile Apple didn’t have a new iPad for sale this year, unlike in 2012 when the third and fourth generation iPads and iPad mini hit the stores. Without new product driving sales, Apple saw their overall growth slow. Still, even with slowed growth, the company was able to lead the market in shipped units by over 6 million units compared to their nearest competitor.
iPad sales slip as tablet market surges originally appeared on TUAW – The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Mon, 05 Aug 2013 17:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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