Strong 10.2-inch iPad Sales Extended Apple's Global Market Lead, According to IDC

Apple increased its worldwide tablet market share by 6.4 percent in the fourth quarter of 2019, thanks to strong demand for its new 10.2-inch iPad, according to the latest data compiled by research firm IDC.

ipads fall 2019

Apple's 10.2-inch ‌iPad‌ (second from right) starting at $329

Apple's seventh-generation ‌iPad‌, introduced in September 2019 as an affordable entry-level tablet for consumers and educational institutions, accounted for 65 percent of 15.9 million total ‌iPad‌ shipments during the three months ending in December, according to IDC.

Performance of the 10.2-inch ‌iPad‌ helped the company increase global tablet market share in the holiday quarter to 36.5 percent, up from 29.6 percent in the year ago quarter. Apple's year-over-year tablet growth was up 22.7 percent from 12.9 million shipments in Q4 2018.

IDC's full-year statistics tell a similar story, with Apple taking 34.6 percent of the 2019 tablet market on shipments of 49.9 million iPads, up 15.2 percent from 29.6 percent on 43.3 million units shipped in 2018.

Apple's growth came despite a period in which the worldwide tablet market declined 0.6 percent year over year during the fourth quarter of 2019, as global shipments fell to 43.5 million units. For the full year, the tablet market shrank 1.5 percent year over year as global shipments totaled 144 million units, according to IDC.

Samsung regained the second position behind Apple, despite another year-over-year decline in shipments. The company shipped 7 million units in the quarter, but even with growth across its detachable portfolio, the company couldn't offset the decline from its slate tablets.

IDC holiday quarter ipad shipments 2019
Huawei and Amazon came third and fourth, shipping 4 million and 3.3 million units, respectively. Huawei saw a 2.8 percent decrease in growth year over year, while Amazon slumped by 29 percent over the same period. However, Amazon was the only other brand apart from Apple to see growth for the whole year (9.9 percent).

Lenovo was the other brand in the top 5 that recorded year-over-year growth in holiday quarter shipments. Its share slightly increased from 5.3 percent in 4Q18 to 5.8 percent in 4Q19. Lenovo's growth declined by 4.2 percent for the year.

Respected Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo believes that the next iPad Pro update will come during the first half of 2020. Apple is said to be planning to release a next-generation model with upgraded Face ID and a rear-facing time-of-flight (ToF) camera system that would allow for 3D models to be captured using the ‌iPad Pro‌ and then edited with the Apple Pencil for an "all-new productivity experience."

Related Roundup: iPad
Tag: IDC
Buyer's Guide: iPad (Neutral)
Related Forum: iPad

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Top Rated Comments

urtules Avatar
74 months ago
On iPad I agree with John Gruber ('https://daringfireball.net/2020/01/the_ipad_awkwardly_turns_10') - iPad could be so much more. When handling complex tasks, multitasking - Apple made the interface too difficult to use. And from my part, to fully replace laptop, it should be possible to work on my iOS and iPadOS projects right on the iPad. iPad wins with its security, simplicity and low barrier to entry, but some parts of the interface needs to be redone, I am sure Apple is working on it.
Score: 11 Votes (Like | Disagree)
PickUrPoison Avatar
74 months ago

The iPad is the best tablet - yes.
Doesn’t help the fact that Tablets just suck. I like MacBooks.
Cool. Others like iPads. For them, they can do everything they need to do on an iPad.

That doesn’t take anything away from Mac. Laptops are always going to be more powerful than tablets, and desktops will always be more powerful than laptops.
And a $40,000 28-core Mac Pro with 1.5 Terabytes of RAM will beat them all. It’s all about having the right tool for the job. What are the requirements?

If what you need to do is keep track of your calendar, make to-do lists, check your 401(k), set reminders, deposit checks and check your bank and credit card accounts, tweet, use Facebook, listen to music or watch Netflix on the train to work, etc.... well, guess what—an iPhone is all you need. But maybe you need a more powerful solution. No problem.

iPhone
iPad
laptop
desktop
workstation
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
rebretz000 Avatar
74 months ago
I just two iPad 7th generation. One for me and one for the wife. Our first iPads and I love it. It’s replaced my Chromebook for the most part.
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Dwalls90 Avatar
74 months ago

It's almost as if Apple has declared the Ipad the IOS "Loss leader." Either that or they feel that there is a potential for every Iphone user to purchase one so that they are making them more affordable to ensure folks buy even more into the Apple ecosystem.

Having used Android tablets, Fire tablets, and Ipads, I have to say the Ipad blows away the competition -- especially now that it's more affordably priced.
I agree in that Apple is making much less of a profit on this iPad model compared to other Apple devices, but we also shouldn't forget the "quality" of components in this iPad and what that means for cost.

The 10.2" iPad is inferior to the 2016 iPad Pro 9.7" hardware (cameras, screen quality, weight, thinness, speakers, etc.), in every way except for the recent addition of .5" increase in screen size and moving from the A9X to A10. I don't say this to make "regular" iPad owners to feel inferior, but rather that Apple has been able to take parts from the much older iPad model (2016 or even older) component bins to drive down production costs. The A10 costs the same as the A9X to produce so that's no change.
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Mainsail Avatar
74 months ago

I agree in that Apple is making much less of a profit on this iPad model compared to other Apple devices, but we also shouldn't forget the "quality" of components in this iPad and what that means for cost.

The 10.2" iPad is inferior to the 2016 iPad Pro 9.7" hardware (cameras, screen quality, weight, thinness, speakers, etc.), in every way except for the recent addition of .5" increase in screen size and moving from the A9X to A10. I don't say this to make "regular" iPad owners to feel inferior, but rather that Apple has been able to take parts from the much older iPad model (2016 or even older) component bins to drive down production costs. The A10 costs the same as the A9X to produce so that's no change.
I am not sure that the processor is the limiting factor wrt performance for most applications. It seems like iPad processors have outdistanced the software for some time now. I would agree that RAM has been an issue, and the 7th gen iPad has 3GB of RAM, which is the same as the Air 3 and more than its predecessor.

I think performance is going to be fine on the entry level iPad for several years to come. But, only time will tell. Meanwhile, at $250 on sale, it is a ridiculous good deal for someone that needs a basic home computing solution that they can take with them to coffee shops and on vacation..
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
pike908 Avatar
74 months ago
It's almost as if Apple has declared the Ipad the IOS "Loss leader." Either that or they feel that there is a potential for every Iphone user to purchase one so that they are making them more affordable to ensure folks buy even more into the Apple ecosystem.

Having used Android tablets, Fire tablets, and Ipads, I have to say the Ipad blows away the competition -- especially now that it's more affordably priced.
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)