Apple iPad grows share of global tablet market despite declining sales
Roger Fingas
Apple and its chief rival — Samsung — both saw worldwide tablet shipments decline in the June quarter, although Apple managed to increase iPad marketshare in spite of moving fewer units.
The iPad's share grew from 24.9 to 25.8 percent year-over-year, according to IDC research data published on Monday. The company's shipments fell to just under 10 million.
Apple's marketshare owes partly to a more precipitous drop for Samsung, which slid from about 8 million units to 6 million — dragging its marketshare from 18.2 percent to 15.6. Lenovo's shipments held flat at 2.5 million, and an "others" category was down 22.9 percent to 16.4 million units.
Apple might have controlled more of the market had it not been for two other competitors, Amazon and Huawei. Amazon's Fire tablet shipments jumped 1,208.9 percent to 1.6 million, boosting its share from 0.3 percent to 4. China's Huawei grew units 71 percent to 2.2 million, pushing its share from 2.9 percent to 5.6.
The iPad was Apple's only major product category to grow revenue during the June quarter. This is likely because of the iPad Pro, now the mainstay of its tablet lineup and costing more than any previous iPad. Even the 9.7-inch version starts at $599, $100 more than the iPad Air 2 when it launched in 2014.
Malcolm Owen
Amber Neely
Christine McKee
William Gallagher
8 Comments
Since it was first released, the iPad remains the best tablet in the world. And it still is, all of these years after it first made its debut. Nothing else even comes close. Remember all of the countless "iPad Killers" that were touted by various clueless idiots and ignoramuses? Where are those tablets today? Six feet under, that's where. Some of them didn't even last more than a few months. Those moronic people should all be walking around with mandatory dunce caps, so we all can be aware of dangerously stupid people that lurk among us.
There are those who buy cheap, junk tablets, and then there are those who can afford iPads. It's as simple as that.
Bring on the iPad Pro 2! I'm ready to buy one of those this fall or winter! And Apple, how about giving us a new color scheme? I'm tired of owning so many devices that are "space grey". Imagine if somebody bought a new car every year, and every year they would get the same exact color. Boring!
IDC=I Don't Care
Apple could lose sales momentum while gaining market share. But people here tend to not care about market share.
I work for a US Fortune 100 and recently saw our Good App metrics. 85% iOS, 15% Android.