Apple Continues to Dominate Tablet Market With an Estimated 19.2 Million Shipments in Q4 2020

Apple continues to hold a dominant position in the tablet market thanks to continued iPad sales growth throughout 2020, according to new data shared today by Canalys.

canalys tablet shipments q42020
Apple shipped an estimated 19.2 million iPads during the fourth quarter of 2020 (which corresponds to Apple's first fiscal quarter of 2021), marking a 40 percent increase over the estimated 13.7 million tablets that it shipped in the fourth quarter of 2019.

When it comes to market share, Apple comes in at 36 percent, close to double the market share of its next closest competitor, Samsung. Samsung has a 19 percent market share and shipped an estimated 9.9 million tablets during the holiday quarter.

Amazon shipped an estimated 6.5 million tablets for 12 percent market share, while Lenovo shipped 5.6 million and Huawei shipped 3.5 million.

Apple furthered its dominance in the tablet market, with Q4 shipments growing 40% to 19.2 million, its best iPad performance since Q4 2014. Samsung maintained second place in the market with 9.9 million tablets shipped, up 41% from Q4 2019. Amazon climbed to third place on the back of strong holiday season demand, shipping 6.5 million tablets. Lenovo was the fastest growing vendor in Q4, increasing sell-in volume by 125% to reach 5.6 million units. Huawei was the only vendor in the top 5 to see shipments decline year-on-year.

For all of 2020, Apple shipped an estimated 58.8 million tablets, 24 percent more than it shipped across 2019. Samsung shipped an estimated 31 million, followed by Huawei at 16.3 million and Amazon at 15.9 million.

canalys worldwide tablet shipments full 2020
Canalys also shared estimates for combined PC, tablet, and Chromebooks in the fourth quarter of 2020, and using this metric, Apple was the number two worldwide vendor with 26.4 million device shipments, up 42 percent from combined Mac and ‌iPad‌ shipments in 2019.

When factoring in tablets and PCs, Lenovo was the number one worldwide vendor with 28.8 million units shipped. HP came in third with 19.3 million, Dell was fourth with 15.9 million, and Samsung came in fifth with 11.5 million units shipped.

canalys worldwide pc tablet shipments
Across all of 2020, Apple shipped an estimated 81.4 million iPads and Macs, coming in second to Lenovo with 87 million units shipped.

Apple yesterday shared its earnings results for the holiday quarter, confirming continued strong Mac and iPad sales. Apple does not break down unit sales for its devices anymore, but Apple set a new all-time holiday quarter revenue record for the Mac category with revenue hitting $8.7 billion, up from $7.2 billion in the year-ago quarter.

Apple's ‌iPad‌ category earned $8.4 billion, up from $6 billion in the year-ago quarter, which marks growth of 41 percent year over year.

Going forward, Mac and ‌iPad‌ sales are likely to remain strong as people continue to work and learn from home. Apple has multiple Mac refreshes in the works, and this year, we're expecting to see overhauled iMacs and MacBook Pro models with Apple silicon chips.

There are also new iPad Pro, iPad mini, and ‌iPad‌ refreshes in the works that could further drive sales.

Tag: Canalys

Popular Stories

Tim Cook Rainbow

Apple Event in October? Here's What to Expect

Monday September 29, 2025 9:31 am PDT by
Apple's annual iPhone event is in the rearview mirror, but rumors suggest the company plans to release a handful of additional products before the year ends. Will there be another Apple event this October? We discuss the possibility below. Apple in October Apple's most recent October events were in 2021 and 2023. In 2022 and 2024, Apple did not host an October event. Instead, it...
apple wallet drivers license feature iPhone 15 pro teal 1

Apple's iPhone Driver's License Feature Now Available in 11 U.S. States

Tuesday September 30, 2025 6:40 am PDT by
In select U.S. states, residents can add their driver's license or state ID to the Wallet app on the iPhone and Apple Watch, providing a convenient and contactless way to display proof of identity or age at select airports and businesses, and in select apps. Apple recently revealed that the feature would soon be available in North Dakota, and starting today, the feature has officially gone...
space black mbp

Here's Every New Apple Product That Leaked Yesterday

Wednesday October 1, 2025 8:27 am PDT by
A handful of upcoming Apple products leaked yesterday, through a combination of YouTube videos out of Russia and U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) documents that were released, despite Apple's confidentiality requests. The leaked products include an iPad Pro with an M5 chip, as well as updated MacBook Pro and Apple Vision Pro models. All of these devices had already been rumored...
maxresdefault

New iPad Pro With M5 Chip Leaked in Unboxing Video

Tuesday September 30, 2025 8:39 am PDT by
An apparent unboxing video for an unannounced iPad Pro with the M5 chip was uploaded to YouTube today by Russian channel Wylsacom. The same YouTube account leaked the 14-inch MacBook Pro with the M4 chip before it was announced by Apple last year, so this is likely a legitimate leak. Based on the box shown in the video, this appears to be a 13-inch iPad Pro with an M5 chip, 256GB of...
fcc vision pro leak

FCC Accidentally Leaks Apple's Next Vision Pro

Tuesday September 30, 2025 3:48 pm PDT by
The United States Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has seemingly confirmed Apple's work on an updated version of the Vision Pro headset. One of several documents the FCC shared today references an Apple-designed "Head Mounted Device" with a model number of A3416. An included image confirms the device is a Vision Pro. The FCC's uploads are transmission tests, SAR test reports, and...
macbook pro prime day 2025

FCC Leaks Upcoming MacBook Pro and More

Tuesday September 30, 2025 1:58 pm PDT by
The United States Federal Communications Commission has confirmed Apple's work on a new version of the MacBook Pro and several other products, leaking details on the devices ahead of launch. The FCC published documents that reference model numbers that do not correspond with existing devices. A3434, for example, references an unreleased MacBook Pro, while other numbers are likely for...
iOS 26 Feature

iOS 26.1 to iOS 26.4 Will Add These New Features to Your iPhone

Wednesday October 1, 2025 1:26 pm PDT by
iOS 26 was released last month, but the software train never stops, and iOS 26.1 beta testing is already underway. So far, iOS 26.1 makes both Apple Intelligence and Live Translation on compatible AirPods available in additional languages, and it includes some other minor changes across Apple Music, Calendar, Photos, and Safari. More features and changes will follow in future versions,...
iOS 26

Apple Releases iOS 26.0.1 With Fixes for Wi-Fi, Cellular, and Camera Issues on iPhone 17 Models

Monday September 29, 2025 10:12 am PDT by
Apple today released iOS 26.0.1 and iPadOS 26.0.1, the first updates to the iOS 26 and iPadOS 26 operating systems that came out earlier this week. The new software can be downloaded on eligible iPhones and iPads over-the-air by going to Settings > General > Software Update. According to Apple's release notes for the update, iOS 26.0.1 addresses a bug that could cause aberrations in...
Apple 2025 Thumb 1

Apple's 2025 Product Roadmap: What's Still Coming

Wednesday October 1, 2025 3:56 pm PDT by
Apple's two big yearly events, WWDC and the iPhone launch, are done and over with, but there are still some new products that we're expecting to see before the end of the year. Apple TV The Apple TV hasn't been updated since 2022, so it's due for a refresh. It doesn't look like Apple is going to change the design of its set-top box, but we can expect a faster chip Apple code suggests...
iOS 26 Everything New Feature

26 Hidden iOS 26 Tricks to Change How You Use Your iPhone

Wednesday October 1, 2025 9:16 am PDT by
Apple released iOS 26 in mid-September, bringing a range of new features and changes to iPhones across the globe. But not all of the included improvements have been showcased with Apple's typical fanfare, and many are likely to have been overlooked. Below, we've highlighted 26 lesser known additions and enhancements that could potentially change how you use your iPhone on a daily basis. Got...

Top Rated Comments

LeeW Avatar
61 months ago
If I was to get rid of all but one Apple device the one I would keep is the iPad, it's the one for me that is as perfect and fit for purpose as anything else they make.
Score: 9 Votes (Like | Disagree)
BWhaler Avatar
61 months ago
Well earned.

The iPad hardware is lightyears ahead of everything else in the market, and hopefully Apple seriously invests in iPad OS and 1st part apps to truly make the iPad the future of computing.
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Apple_Robert Avatar
61 months ago

Mine collects dust. It's obsolete like stand-alone GPS and MP3 players.
Did you fall down recently and bump your head? :P Obsolete? Maybe, for you it is. For the rest of the Apple lovers, I don't think so.
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
CarlJ Avatar
61 months ago
The iPad is great in general, and their current lineup is fabulous, but also this last almost-year, they’ve been popular for learning from home. I wonder how much that affected the numbers (and if it was across the board for all tablets or if iPads - or others - saw particular boosts). I wonder if an eventual return to in-person classes (and offices) will see a decline in tablet sales, or if they’ve caught the public interest more.

My nieces got iPads a year or two ago, mostly for use on long trips (they don’t get a lot of screen time otherwise), but they turned out to be perfect for classes (especially with a keyboard added for the older one). And these days, when I’m not in front of my work MBP, I’m more likely to pick up my 3rd Gen iPad than open my MBP, for catching up on the world (like now).
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Apple_Robert Avatar
61 months ago
Was there really any doubt? Apple is king in this area and for good reason.
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
entropys Avatar
61 months ago
It is my main home machine. iPadOS constraints still hold it back though. All Apple really needs to do is properly implement a file management system, multitasking, print services, multiuser accounts and tweak cut and paste, and it is pretty close.
land a second port
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)