We’re buying fewer tablets, and fewer of those we are buying are from Samsung or Apple – although most of them still are.
Those are the key takeaways from IDC’s Worldwide Quarterly Tablet Tracker for the second quarter of 2015. According to IDC, some 44.7 million tablets were shipped in Q2. That’s a worldwide decline of seven per cent compared to the same period one year ago. Shipments were also off 3.9 per cent from Q1, with IDC contrasting the quarter as marked by little innovation and limited vendor portfolio updates.
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“We’re seeing a profound shift in the vendor landscape as the top two vendors, Apple and Samsung, lose share in the overall market,” said Jean Philippe Bouchard, IDC Research Director for tablets, in a statement.
While in Q1 Apple and Samsung accounted for 45 per cent of the market, in Q2 that dropped to 41 per cent due to growth from competitors such as LG, Huawei, and E Fun. There’s also growth beyond the top five, with the five leaders seeing their share decline from 58 per cent in Q1 to 54 per cent in Q2.
“It is worth mentioning that Huawei enters the top 5 ranking for the first time, while E Fun has re-entered the top 10 after more than a year, further indicating that the vendor landscape is indeed evolving,” added Bouchard.
Apple led the way with 10.9 million units shipped and 24.5 per cent of the market, down 17.9 per cent year over year. Samsung was next at 7.6 million units shipped and 17 per cent market share, a 12 per cent year over year decline. Lenovo was next, with Hiawei and LG Electronics tying with 1.6 million units shipped and just under four market share, both growing in triple digits.
“Longer life cycles, increased competition from other categories such as larger smartphones, combined with the fact that end users can install the latest operating systems on their older tablets has stifled the initial enthusiasm for these devices in the consumer market,” said Jitesh Ubrani, senior research analyst for IDC’s Worldwide Mobile Device Trackers, in a statement. “But with newer form factors like 2-in-1s, and added productivity-enabling features like those highlighted in iOS9, vendors should be able to bring new vitality to a market that has lost its momentum.”
There are so many brands out releasing cheap tablets on Android. I’ve never heard of some of them and then there are brands I’ve heard of but wouldn’t think they’d sell tablets [like RCA]. I think they’re are in for a quick buck. I can’t see these smaller brands giving much support. So I’d stick with a brand that I know will probably give sufficient support.
There was this myth that the PC is all but dead. I think the reverse is true. Tablets are functional, in limited ways, but laptops and PCs still allow you to actually do ‘work’ most effectively and efficiently. I was trying to update a spreadsheet on a mediocre tablet keyboard and the touchscreen – it was painfully slow!! Long live the PC!