Emily Tan
Nov 13, 2012

Samsung nearly triples global tablet market share in 3Q2012:IDC

GLOBAL - Although Apple retains its position as the world's top tablet vendor, Samsung increased tablet shipments by over 300 per cent, growing its market share from 6.4 per cent in 3Q2011 to 18.4 per cent in the same quarter this year.

Samsung shipped 115 million tablets in 3Q2012
Samsung shipped 115 million tablets in 3Q2012

In total, Samsung shipped 5.1 million tablets worldwide in 3Q12, up 115 per cent from 2Q12, said IDC in its Worldwide Quarterly Tablet Tracker. 

Samsung's growth "represents the first time a competitor has attained this level of share since the original launch of the iPad", said Ryan Reith, program manager, IDC's Mobile Device Trackers.

Amazon, which did not have product in 3Q11, announced new 7-inch and 8.9-inch Kindle Fire HD tablets late in the quarter, and began shipping the new 7-inch HD version (in addition to a refreshed version of the original 7-inch Fire) in mid-September. This helped grow its worldwide market share from 4.8 per cent in 2Q12 to 9.0 per cent in 3Q12, despite only shipping in the US. (The company began shipping into five additional countries in 4Q12).

Apple saw slow growth in the third quarter as both consumer and commercial shipments declined in anticipation of the launch of the iPad Mini, said Tom Mainelli, research director, tablets at IDC. "We believe a sizeable percentage of consumers interested in buying an Apple tablet sat out the third quarter in anticipation of an announcement about the new iPad mini."

As a result, Apple saw its market share slip from 65.5 per cent in 2Q12 to 50.4 per cent in 3Q12. 

"Now that the new mini, and a fourth-generation full-sized iPad, are both shipping we expect Apple to have a very good quarter," said Mainelli. "However, we believe the mini's relatively high US$329 starting price leaves plenty of room for Android vendors to build upon the success they achieved in the third quarter."

Overall, the tablet market has grown nearly 60 per cent year on year in 3Q2012 and 6.7 per cent over the second quarter of 2012  to total 27.8 million units, said IDC. 

After Apple, Samsung and Amazon (in that order) the rest of the top five tablet vendors are rounded out by Asus and Lenovo. 

Asus' share of growth was backed by strong shipments of its Google-branded Nexus 7 device; Lenovo's gains were driven by strong shipments in China, noted IDC.

"Competitors are turning up the pressure on market leader Apple," Reith added. "With the recent introduction of a number of Windows 8 and Windows RT tablets, consumers now have a third viable tablet platform from which to choose. However, price points are critical in tablets, and Microsoft and its partners will have a tough time winning a share of consumer wallet with price points starting at US$500."

Source:
Campaign Asia

Related Articles

Just Published

11 hours ago

Chinese media rebate corruption probe widens across ...

EXCLUSIVE: Dentsu Media CEO Tommy Li has stepped down and is reportedly in police custody, as China’s media rebate probe expands with as many as 30 people questioned. Former Wavemaker chief client officer Julep Lin has also been arrested in connection with the investigation.

2 days ago

Agency Report Cards 2024: We grade 25 APAC networks

The grades are in for Campaign Asia's 22nd annual evaluation of APAC agency networks. Subscribe to read our detailed analyses.

2 days ago

Agency Report Card 2024: Initiative

After losing marquee clients Amazon and Lego, Initiative faces an uphill battle to rebuild its reputation, leaning on new tools, a "challenger" mindset, and a focus on e-commerce to stay competitive in a rapidly shifting industry.

2 days ago

Global CEO of WPP Media’s Nexus departs

Bidon has been global chief executive at Nexus since April 2022.