The tablet market is now unsure. We’ve been seeing the tablet market share going down, no thanks to the increasing popularity of smartphones. Actually, it’s not just smartphones as the convertibles have began to capture a small percentage of the market. Hybrid tablets and notebooks are now in demand because they are more useful than ever. They are more convenient to use for quick web or social media browsing but when you need work, just attach the keyboard and you’re good to go.
The International Data Corporation (IDC) has been tracking tablet shipments and unfortunately, they’ve been on a decline for the past nine consecutive quarters already. Q4 sales weren’t as impressive even if it’s the holiday season. Compared to the same quarter last year, the number of tablets that shipped went down by 20.1%. Shipments reached 174. million but that is still 15.6% down compared to the previous year. This is already the second year that the numbers are down.
The IDC observed that slate tablets (tablets without a dedicated keyboard) are “continuing to lose relevancy across all regions” according to IDC’s Worldwide Quarterly Mobile Device Trackers’ program VP Ryan Reith.
The same are being experienced by OEMs that previously did well in the tablet and notebook PC markets. Microsoft and Apple have stayed in the game although not as stable as before. Meanwhile, sales of detachable tablets have increased but has been struggling to keep the momentum.
The top OEMs like Apple, Samsung, Amazon, Huawei, and Lenovo all saw double digit growth during the holiday season. That is not good because usually it’s the shopping season for most consumers. Tablet market is down by 9% in Q4 2016 as presented by Strategy Analytics’ Tablet & Touchscreen Strategies (TTS) service. The latest “Preliminary Global Tablet Shipments and Market Share: Q4 2016” report showed that OEMs saw disappointing patterns.
The 2-in-1 tablet game appears to be highly favored now although numbers are still lower. Tablet & Touchscreen Strategies service’s Senior Analyst Eric Smith said, “2-in-1 Tablets are a hot market segment but price remains a key factor in consumer behaviors around PC and Tablet replacement devices, which is evident in lower shipments of iPad Pro and Surface Pro 4 devices in the quarter.”
SOURCE: IDC, Strategy Analytics
