iPad sales slowed in the fourth quarter as the worldwide tablet market experienced its first year-over-year decline since being established in 2010, according to the latest numbers from market research firm IDC. Apple shipped 21.4 million iPads for 28.1% market share in the fourth quarter to maintain a comfortable lead over Samsung, which shipped 11 million tablets for 14.5% market share during the three-month period ending December.
The worldwide tablet market continues to be mainly a two-horse race between Apple and Samsung, with smaller competitors such as Lenovo, Asus and Amazon shipping just 3.7 million, 3 million and 1.7 million tablets respectively during the fourth quarter. IDC says that, despite a year-over-year decline, worldwide tablet shipments increased 4.4% to total 229.6 million units in 2014.
"The tablet market is still very top heavy in the sense that it relies mostly on Apple and Samsung to carry the market forward each year," said Jitesh Ubrani, Senior Research Analyst, Worldwide Quarterly Tablet Tracker. "Although Apple expanded its iPad lineup by keeping around older models and offering a lower entry price point of $249, it still wasn't enough to spur iPad sales given the excitement around the launch of the new iPhones. Meanwhile, Samsung's struggles continued as low-cost vendors are quickly proving that mid- to high-priced Android tablets simply aren't cut out for today's tablet market."
Apple CEO Tim Cook and CFO Luca Maestri cautioned investors during last week's earnings call that iPad sales are unlikely to see a dramatic year-over-year improvement in the near future. Nevertheless, Apple is optimistic about pushing the iPad further into the enterprise through its IBM deal announced last July and is also seeing first-time buyer rates for the iPad as high as 70% in emerging markets such as China.
Makes sense. People really don't need to upgrade their tablets yearly.
My iPad 3 is still going strong. It's a little sluggish, but I use it mostly for educational purposes for my toddler. It's also used for watching movies.
You also need to factor in that with larger iPhones, the need for a tablet lessens for most people.
Also for the love of God, can we please get split screen multitasking?
I use my MacBook air because I can watch a movie on it with Twitter or email open. It's annoying to have to switch between apps.
Tablets are the perfect device for many different things--much better than a phone or laptop in many cases. However, the things they are good at do not require a yearly hardware upgrade, or even a bi-yearly upgrade.
I've never heard an iPad owner say they don't like the device or don't use it. What I HAVE heard a lot of is, "It still works just fine for everything I do. Why would I buy a new one?"
I guess the market is reaching saturation, and because there hasn't been that much innovation, people have no need to update their tablets that often. In my opinion Apple has been quite lazy with iPad in recent years, there's much unused potential in it.
Friday February 3, 2023 1:13 pm PST by Joe Rossignol
Apple released iOS 16.3 in late January following nearly six weeks of beta testing. The software update is available for the iPhone 8 and newer, and while it is a relatively minor update, it still includes a handful of new features, changes, and bug fixes.
Below, we've recapped new features in iOS 16.3, including support for physical security keys as a two-factor authentication option for...
Sunday February 5, 2023 6:07 am PST by Joe Rossignol
Apple has discussed selling a new top-of-the-line iPhone alongside the Pro and Pro Max models in 2024 at the earliest, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. Based on this timeframe, the device would be part of the iPhone 16 lineup or later.
In a September 2022 edition of his weekly "Power On" newsletter, Gurman said there was "potential" for an iPhone 15 Ultra to replace the iPhone 15 Pro...
Saturday February 4, 2023 10:05 am PST by Eric Slivka
Online retailer TigerDirect has slashed pricing on the M1 iPad Air in several colors, offering the base 64GB configuration for just $313.99 in Purple and Pink.
Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with TigerDirect. When you click a link and make a purchase, we may receive a small payment, which helps us keep the site running.
That's a savings of 48% compared to Apple's normal $599.00...
A new version of the Mac Studio with the "M2 Ultra" chip is unlikely to arrive in the near future, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman.
In the latest edition of his "Power On" newsletter, Gurman explained that since the upcoming Apple silicon Mac Pro is "very similar in functionality to the Mac Studio," Apple may wait until the release of M3- or M4-series chips to update the machine, or...
Google's Chromium developers are working on an experimental web browser for iOS that would break Apple's browser engine restrictions, The Register reports.
The experimental browser, which is being actively pursued by developers, uses Google's Blink engine. Yet if Google attempted to release it on the App Store, it would not pass Apple's App Review process.
Apple's App Store rules dictate...
Apple's next device with an Apple silicon chip may not be a Mac or an iPad, but rather an advanced external display, according to recent reports.
The display, which is rumored to arrive this year, is expected to sit somewhere between the $1,599 Studio Display and the $4,999 Pro Display XDR – but more exact information about the device's positioning and price point is as yet unknown. While ...
This week saw the launch of the final product from Apple's January hardware announcements, with the second-generation HomePod making its way into customers' hands.
Other news and rumors this week included signs of an interim iOS 16.3.1 bug fix update in the works as we await a fresh round of beta testing for a more significant iOS 16.4 update, a report on the potential dangers of using...
Friday February 3, 2023 1:28 pm PST by Juli Clover
Today is the official launch day for the second-generation HomePod that was introduced in January, and we picked one up to compare it to the original HomePod that Apple discontinued in 2021.
Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. Design wise, the second-generation HomePod looks a lot like the first-generation model, featuring the same rounded design and acoustic mesh...
Apple on January 23 released iOS 16.3, delivering support for Security Keys for Apple IDs, changes to Emergency SOS functionality, support for the second-generation HomePod, and more.
Apple CEO Tim Cook and CFO Luca Maestri cautioned investors during last week's earnings call that iPad sales are unlikely to see a dramatic year-over-year improvement in the near future. Nevertheless, Apple is optimistic about pushing the iPad further into the enterprise through its IBM deal announced last July and is also seeing first-time buyer rates for the iPad as high as 70% in emerging markets such as China.
Top Rated Comments
Who woulda thunk
Laptop - full blown OS, does everything, fits in a bag
Phone - cut-down OS but fits in your pocket, makes phone calls.
And then there's tablets. Cut down OS but doesn't fit in your pocket, needs to go in your bag, can't make phone calls. They're just a gimmick.
And the Apple Watch will be the next one.
My iPad 3 is still going strong. It's a little sluggish, but I use it mostly for educational purposes for my toddler. It's also used for watching movies.
You also need to factor in that with larger iPhones, the need for a tablet lessens for most people.
Also for the love of God, can we please get split screen multitasking?
I use my MacBook air because I can watch a movie on it with Twitter or email open. It's annoying to have to switch between apps.
I've never heard an iPad owner say they don't like the device or don't use it. What I HAVE heard a lot of is, "It still works just fine for everything I do. Why would I buy a new one?"