IDC: Tablet Market Continues Falling

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Global tablet shipments fall by -7% Y-o-Y (or -3.9% Q-o-Q) to reach 447 million units during Q2 2015 IDC reports, a quarter marked by little in terms of either hardware innovation or vendor portfolio updates.

IDC Q2 2015 tablets

"Beyond the decline, we're seeing a profound shift in the vendor landscape as the top two vendors, Apple and Samsung, lose share in the overall market," the analyst remarks. "In Q1 2015, Apple and Samsung accounted for 45% of the market and this quarter, with the growth of vendors like LG, Huawei, and E FUN, their combined share dropped to 41%. Each of the growing vendors managed to address available pockets of growth in the market; connected tablets for LG and Huawei, larger tablets and 2-in-1s in the right price bands for E FUN."

As a result, the top 5 vendors see a decline in overall market share-- from 58% in Q1 2015 to 54% in Q2 2015. Also telling is the return of Huawei to the top 5 vendors, while E FUN makes it to the top 10 after over a year.

Apple commands the tablet vendor rankings, even if iPad shipments drop by -17.9% Y-o-Y to 10.9m units. Samsung follows with 17% market share and shipments reaching 7.6m units, and Lenovo comes 3rd with 5.7% share. Sharing 4th place in a statistical tie are Huawei and LG.

"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," IDC remarks. "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."

Go IDC Q2 2015 WW Quarterly Tablet Tracker