IDC: Global tablet market shrinks as shipment of Apple iPads declines
IDC: Global tablet market shrinks as shipment of Apple iPads declines
The increasing popularity of phablets may have taken a toll on tablets as IDC reveals that the global tablet market has shrunk.
According to IDC's latest report, the global tablet market declined 7% year over year in Q2 2015 with a total shipment of 44.7 million units. Compared to Q1 2015, it is a drop of 3.9%. In addition, Apple saw its market share dropped nearly 3% to 24.5% with shipments of iPads at 10.9 million units.
Samsung is also reported to see declines in both units shipped and market share; it only shipped 7.6 million tablets which gave it a market share of 17%. Rounding out the top five are Lenovo, Huawei and LG.
IDC attributed the declines in tablet shipments to several factors such as little hardware innovation, limited vendor portfolio updates, longer life cycles and increased competition from bigger smartphones.
Apple CEO Tim Cook remains optimistic about the iPad as he feels the upgrade cycle will eventually come. Calling the iPad "a fantastic product", Cook states that he still sees a lot of potential for the device especially in the emerging markets. Apple is rumored to be working on a 12.9-inch iPad Pro to be released in mid-November alongside the iPad Mini 4.