Apple retains top position in global tablets market, Amazon turns best performer

Apple has emerged as the top brand in global shipments of tablet devices in the third quarter of 2024, according to a new report by the International Data Corporation (IDC). The latest IDC Worldwide Quarterly Personal Computing Device Tracker report for the quarter ending in November has revealed that Apple's iPad shipments grew 1.4 per cent year-on-year to 12.6 million units from 12.4 per cent in Q3 2023. Samsung secured second place in global tablet shipments, while Huawei performed phenomenally, climbing up to fourth place.

IDC's report highlights that even though Apple expanded its shipments year over year, its market share dipped to 31.7 per cent in Q3 2024, compared to 37.7 per cent around the same time last year. The boost in sales follows a higher demand for Apple's iPad devices, which received multiple hardware upgrades over the past few months. Apple's entire iPad portfolio now uses the company's Arm-based M-series chips, delivering more performance and more efficiency than Android tablets from rivals.

Samsung settled for the second spot on the list with 7.1 million tablet shipments, up from 6 million last year. The South Korean company registered an 18.3 YoY growth, but its market share shrank from 18.2 per cent in Q3 2023 to 17.9 per cent in 2024's third quarter. Analysts believe Samsung's success can be solely attributed to the commercial success of the Galaxy Tab A9 series, surprisingly, instead of the company's flagship Galaxy Tab S10 series.

IDC said in its report that Amazon secured the third position on the chart, shipping 4.6 million units in the third quarter. However, it became the best-performing company with a 111.3 per cent YoY growth for the category over a shipment of 2.2 million devices in last year's third quarter. Amazon's market share also surged from 6.6 per cent to 11.6 per cent, per the data.

Huawei ranked fourth with 3.3 million tablet shipments, up from 2.3 million last year. With a 44.1 per cent YoY increase, the Chinese company saw its market share rise from 6.9 per cent last year to 8.2 per cent during this year's Q3. Lenovo also saw its shipments expand from 2.6 million last year to 3 million this year, registering a 14.7 per cent YoY growth. Its market share, however, declined to 7.6 per cent compared to 8 per cent.

The report said tablet shipments registered a YoY growth of 20.4 per cent, delivering 39.6 million devices worldwide from all leading brands.