According to a report by Strategy Analytics, total tablet shipments reached 55.2 million units in Q3 2014, up 6 percent from 52 million in Q3 2013.
This is partly due to Lenovo and Asus tablets having done well: each shipped around 3 million units and captured 5.4 and 5.6 per cent of market share respectively.
Although Apple grabbed 22.3 per cent of the market, this was down from 27.1 per cent a year ago and equated to a 13 per cent decline in shipments. According to Peter King, director of the tablet & touchscreen strategies service at Stategy Analytics, and author of the report, this is because not many consumers in developed countries upgraded to the latest products, which offer minor changes.
However, he said he believes that “newly announced iPad Air 2 and Mini 3, plus the retention of older models at lower price points, will stimulate sales in the coming quarters.”
As for operating systems, Android remains the most popular, reaching an all-time high of 72 per cent share of the market.
Windows also reached its highest level of market share at 6 per cent, as more models became available from traditional PC vendors and with a full quarter of Microsoft Surface Pro 3 availability. The next iteration, Windows 10, is expected to drive tablet shipments even further.
King believes future growth will depend on “enterprise-class devices used for productivity rather than media consumption.”
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