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Original poster
Apr 12, 2001
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Research firm IDC today announced its preliminary estimates of worldwide tablet shipments for the third quarter of 2013, finding that Apple's share of the market has fallen to under a third. According to IDC's numbers, Apple held a 29.6% share of the market for quarter, compared to 32.4% in the previous quarter and a 40.2% share in the year-ago quarter.

Though Apple's unit shipments grew slightly from last year to this year -- from 14 million to 14.1 million -- because so many more Android tablets were sold, particularly by Samsung and Lenovo, Apple's total tablet market share dropped by more than 10%. Notably, the quarter preceded the recent iPad refresh and should logically be Apple's weakest quarter of the year.

idc_3Q13_tablets.jpg
Shipments in millions
With no new iPad product launches in the second or third quarter to drive volume, Apple experienced a quarter-over-quarter decline in shipments from 14.6 million in 2Q13 to 14.1 million in 3Q13. Year over year, iPad shipments grew less than one percent. Apple's slowing growth--caused in part by its decision in late 2012 to move its product launches from earlier in the year to the fourth quarter--has caused the company's tablet market share to slip to 29.6%, its lowest share to date. However, with the new iPad Air shipping November 1st and the refreshed iPad mini with Retina scheduled to roll out later in November, IDC expects Apple to enjoy robust shipment growth during the fourth quarter.

"With two 7.9-inch models starting at $299 and $399, and two 9.7-inch models starting at $399 and $499, Apple is taking steps to appeal to multiple segments," said Jitesh Ubrani, Research Analyst with IDC's Tablet Tracker. "While some undoubtedly hoped for more aggressive pricing from Apple, the current prices clearly reflect Apple's ongoing strategy to maintain its premium status. It's worth noting that Apple wasn't the only one to increase the price of its small-sized tablet during this product cycle: Both Google and Amazon increased the price of their newest 7-inch tablets from $199 to $229 to cover the higher costs associated with high resolution screens and better processors."
Second-place Samsung continues to close on Apple in the tablet market, garnering 20.4% of the market -- and more than doubling its total tablet shipment number -- as other major tablet makers continue struggled to sell more than 3.5 million tablets.

idc_3Q13_tablets_trends.jpg
As always, it is important to note that IDC's numbers track shipments instead of sales, and thus how many shipped devices are making their way into consumers' hands remains unclear. IDC's figures are also estimates, as most companies do not release their exact tablet shipment data and thus research firms must rely on supply chain data and calculations from information that is made public by manufacturers to build their estimates.

Article Link: Apple's Share of Tablet Market Drops on Increased Android Tablet Sales
 

k1121j

macrumors 68000
Mar 28, 2009
1,718
2,754
New Hampshire
Lol

haha where do these people get these numbers. I willing to bet these numbers include those Osco Drug store tablets that no one uses
 

Pompiliu

macrumors 6502a
Apr 22, 2012
544
0
Good.
I like a little bit of exclusivity.
I thing Apple should make the iPad more expensive, at least $1000, at 399 too much people can afford it. ;)
 

JCox

macrumors newbie
Nov 2, 2011
26
34
Does this include the millions of iPads and others already in use? Or is it just this last quarter?
 

Winni

macrumors 68040
Oct 15, 2008
3,207
1,196
Germany.
And yet I've honestly never seen an Android tablet out in the wild aside from the occasional Nexus 7. :confused:

That doesn't surprise me. In Germany, I never see iPads in the wild either. Apparently, people only use tablets at home. For work on the road, notebooks and smartphones are still the only relevant device categories.
 

VanNess

macrumors 6502a
Mar 31, 2005
929
186
California
The only non-apple tablet I've ever seen in the wild is the occasional kindle. Maybe it's a radically different picture overseas, but the reasons the so-called research states regarding integration with phones, tv and so wouldn't be exclusive to areas outside the US.
 

CarpalMac

macrumors 68000
Nov 19, 2012
1,617
3,984
UK
And yet I've honestly never seen an Android tablet out in the wild aside from the occasional Nexus 7. :confused:

Have you been looking though? I'd not noticed the Nissan Qashqai until a freind got one, now i see them virtually everywhere!

I see quite a few Nexus 7's on the train now, and fewer ipads maxi's than I used to. I am sure I will see a lot more iPad Minis over the coming weeks.

Fact is, it comes down to ecosystem and apps and at the moment, the majority still seem to prefer IOS and with good reason. Also, quantity doesn't necessarily equal profit, and I'll wager that Google need to sell 2 or 3 Nexus 7's to make the same amount of profit on the hardware that Apple make from 1 Mini.

Software wise, if KitKat is all it is cracked up to be and dramatically reduces the Android fragmentation issues, we may see a change in the app tide.
 

SPUY767

macrumors 68020
Jun 22, 2003
2,041
131
GA
I know it's been said ad nauseum, but with the exception of Samsung, and kindle which had more in common with iOS than its android brethren, those guys aren't even playing the same game as Apple, they're fighting over volume scraps while Apple repeatedly takes home the lions share of the profits.
 

CarpalMac

macrumors 68000
Nov 19, 2012
1,617
3,984
UK
Are you folks not getting tired of this nonsense? Every shop that I know that sells tablets also has a lot of "unsold but shipped" iPads in the shelves...

It's just the same as how some on here berate the competitors for being late to the party, with "inferior" products like the Surface but then will go on about how we should be patient and wait for Apple Maps to catch up Google Maps.
 

cheesyappleuser

macrumors 6502a
Apr 5, 2011
557
208
Portugal
Those inflated sales from Sammy and friends sure are helping.
It's really common to see a free tablet along with a PC / LCD around here.

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The only non-apple tablet I've ever seen in the wild is the occasional kindle. Maybe it's a radically different picture overseas, but the reasons the so-called research states regarding integration with phones, tv and so wouldn't be exclusive to areas outside the US.

You live in California, for God's sake!!
 
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