Apple Tablet Market Share Declined in the Third Quarter

US market research company IDC released a report today that the third quarter of this year, the global tablet shipments were 27.8 million, an increase of 49.5%, an increase of 6.7%. Among them, Apple iPad shipped 14 million units globally, with a market share of 50.4%, down from 65.5% in the second quarter.

The report shows that in the third quarter, Apple’s tablet PC market share declined by 15.1%, while the share of Android tablet PCs represented by Samsung and Amazon increased.

Tom Mainelli, IDC’s leader in tablet PC business research, said: “After experiencing strong growth in the second quarter, Apple’s tablet PC shipments increased in the third quarter, which was mainly due to the rumor of the iPad mini. The impact has caused some consumers to wait and see, but the relatively high selling price of $329 still gives Android devices ample room to grow."

Among the top five tablet makers, except for Apple’s declining market share, the share of the other four manufacturers has increased. Samsung Tablet PC shipments were 5.1 million, an increase of 115% from the previous quarter, an increase of 325% year-on-year, and a market share of 18.4%. Amazon tablet shipments were 2.5 million, with a market share of 9%. ASUS fourth, shipments of 2.4 million, the market share of 8.6%. Lenovo's fifth shipment was 400,000 units with a market share of 1.4%.

Ryan Reith, an IDC project manager, said: "With a wide range of products, Samsung won more consumers in the third quarter, with a market share of 18.4%. At present, competitors are exerting pressure on the leaders of Apple. With the launch of Windows 8 and Windows RT tablets, consumers have a third ecosystem option, but for tablets, the price is critical.Microsoft and its partners want to rely on the starting price. It will take a while for the $500 product to gain more market share."