Apple's iPad Continues to Dominate Tablet Market

[0049190]

The takeaway is that Macrumours has always been a very poor representation of Apple’s user base overall, which is why I have never really paid any attention to the doomsaying here.

If anything, continue to bet on the opposite of whatever Macrumours says that Apple “has” to do or risk being doomed.

From another happy owner of a 11” M4 iPad Pro.

I like MacRumors because you get a broad set of opinions rather than the one sided debate on other Mac forums. I’ve been an Apple user for years but it doesn’t mean I agree with everything they do. I am frustrated by their lack of form factor innovation under Tim Cook.

 

[krull1015]

In an attempt to disconnect from my iPhone I am finding myself
using my 13” M4 more than any Apple device I own. I just purchased a Magic Keyboard for a trip I have planned. It will be interesting to see how useful it will be. Honestly you can’t beat the performance or screen quality of the M4 Pro.

 

[krull1015]

Give me an OLED on an iPad mini and I’ll get a flip phone.

Same here… It’s hard getting use to the screen of the iPad mini after using an iPhone or iPad with an OLED screen.

 

[tobybrut]

That’s not true. Samsung make some very nice tablets. I am tempted by the 14.6” Tab S Ultra which is much cheaper than the iPad Pro and comes with an anti-glare screen as standard.

I have the previous model from 2023 with the same dimensions. It’s a pretty good tablet that’s nice and big, great for watching stuff. There are a few drawbacks. The Samsung keyboard is the worst piece of junk I’ve ever used. The keys are very unresponsive, creating zillions of typing errors. Even hitting the keys hard still doesn’t register sometimes. Having had three Samsung keyboards for various tablets (S7+, S8 Ultra, and S9 Ultra), all of them exhibit the problem. The included stylus is quite nice and has quite a few uses.

The OLED screen is excellent, though it’s fairly dim compared to an iPad Pro’s screen. It is slightly higher than 400 nits, getting to about 800 nits in HDR. If that’s doesn’t bother you, it’s an awesome screen. This tablet IS really big. Unless you have massive hands, don’t ever expect to take it out of its case. it’s just too big to use as an actual handheld tablet. If that’s a problem, go for the 12.4”. To me, that’s a great size. I had a 2021 12.4” Galaxy S Tab, formerly the largest model until they came out with the 14.6” tablets in 2022. I traded it in to get the 2023 14.6” model You also have the usual caveats about having very few tablet-optimized applications. Luma Fusion does make a Samsung app, if you need something like that. I skipped buying the 2024 S10 Ultra because the difference with the S9 Ultra was just not worth it.

One thing to consider. If you can hold out, wait for their fall event to buy their tablet. Samsung has really good deals if you buy from their website during the pre-order period. You get some awesome trade-ins, even if the trade-in is not a Samsung item. I once traded in an iPhone to get the Fold 3 phone and got $1000 for it. They usually have some good bundles, too. Buy a tablet, and also grab earbuds or a Galaxy Watch for a good discount. They’ll have decent deals through the year, but their best deals are during pre-order.

 

[Scott LaPointe]

As someone who is legally blind, my iPad is my tool for daily life, and my iPhone and even my Mac; the accessibility features on these devices are top notch.

I use my iPad for tv consumption as I can read subtitles and any other text easier since it's closer to me as well as zoom in on web pages or books, as well as take notes easier with the pencil. I wish I had this when I was in university, it would have made my life (and my back), easier.

I even use it for music making, and as a DJ - I use it as a backup device (or alternate setup) when playing out.

I've tried the Android versions, and they just don't compare, they do the job but they don't have that "make my life" easier factor, but maybe someday!

Cheers.

 

[Bruce Oksol]

Apple continues to have no close competition in the tablet market, earning 42.3 percent of the global tablet market share in the fourth quarter of 2024, according to a new report from Canalys.

Apple shipped an estimated 16.9 million iPads during the quarter, up from 14.8 million in Q4 2023. The company's closest competitor was Samsung, with 7 million tablets shipped in Q4 2024 for 17.8 percent of the market. Lenovo, Huawei, and Xiaomi were third, fourth, and fifth, respectively.

For all of 2024, Apple shipped an estimated 57 million iPads for 38.6 percent of the market. Apple shipped over twice as many tablets as Samsung in 2024, with Samsung shipping just 27.8 million.

Apple refreshed its high-end iPad Pro with an M4 chip in 2024, plus it revamped the iPad mini with an A17 Pro chip and added an M2 chip to the iPad Air. In 2025, Apple plans to refresh the low-cost iPad and update the iPad Air yet again.

Article Link: Apple's iPad Continues to Dominate Tablet Market

Literally use my iPad all the time. Couldn't imagine using iPhone for such things as Duolingo.

 

[Remy149]

I never use mine and likely won't ever buy another one.

I use mine a lot for both work and media consumption. I’d never read comics on my phone and it’s the perfect device to use will in the kitchen

 

[schneeland]

As others have commented: not too surprising to see the iPad dominate here, as Android's history with tablets is a rather complicated one. It seems that Google never really figured out what they wanted tablets to do (I had a Nexus 7, which was actually a fine device that served a similar purpose my iPad Mini does now, but at some point, Google just ended the Nexus line).
I don't even do very complicated things on my iPads - mostly reading and annotating books and documents, a bit of social media and web surfing and a few sketches once in a while - but still I haven't seen any Android devices that would provide me with the same level of ease for these tasks.

 

[Apple_Robert]

I enjoy using my iPads and have no desire to start using an Android.

 

[BrightDarkSky]

I've been debating whether to buy a iPad mini for years. Now I want something on the smaller side to be able to display work rapidly where I'm at trade shows

I've been struggling with purchasing an iPad for years now because I really really don't like iOS.

I am now looking at the most recent tablets for Android which I didn't really want either because my Android phone does everything I needed to do. The biggest caveat right now is finding a simple image and video browser app. One of the worst parts of Android is that some seemingly very basic apps like this that usually come with the operating system are just missing entirely so you have to look for it in a third party app market. The companies that make them are obviously profit driven and they'll be ads and yada yada to deal with.

Sigh. This is how much I don't like iOS or Apple's prices for ipads.

 

[0049190]

I have the previous model from 2023 with the same dimensions. It’s a pretty good tablet that’s nice and big, great for watching stuff. There are a few drawbacks. The Samsung keyboard is the worst piece of junk I’ve ever used. The keys are very unresponsive, creating zillions of typing errors. Even hitting the keys hard still doesn’t register sometimes. Having had three Samsung keyboards for various tablets (S7+, S8 Ultra, and S9 Ultra), all of them exhibit the problem. The included stylus is quite nice and has quite a few uses.

The OLED screen is excellent, though it’s fairly dim compared to an iPad Pro’s screen. It is slightly higher than 400 nits, getting to about 800 nits in HDR. If that’s doesn’t bother you, it’s an awesome screen. This tablet IS really big. Unless you have massive hands, don’t ever expect to take it out of its case. it’s just too big to use as an actual handheld tablet. If that’s a problem, go for the 12.4”. To me, that’s a great size. I had a 2021 12.4” Galaxy S Tab, formerly the largest model until they came out with the 14.6” tablets in 2022. I traded it in to get the 2023 14.6” model You also have the usual caveats about having very few tablet-optimized applications. Luma Fusion does make a Samsung app, if you need something like that. I skipped buying the 2024 S10 Ultra because the difference with the S9 Ultra was just not worth it.

One thing to consider. If you can hold out, wait for their fall event to buy their tablet. Samsung has really good deals if you buy from their website during the pre-order period. You get some awesome trade-ins, even if the trade-in is not a Samsung item. I once traded in an iPhone to get the Fold 3 phone and got $1000 for it. They usually have some good bundles, too. Buy a tablet, and also grab earbuds or a Galaxy Watch for a good discount. They’ll have decent deals through the year, but their best deals are during pre-order.

Thanks for the review and advice. It’s much appreciated.

 

[mlayer]

It's all about use cases. I had a mini 6 which broke. I temporarily replaced it with an older iPad Pro 10.5". The replacement is too large and cumbersome to use as much as the mini, which fit into a perfect use case for me. I use the Pro, though I don't reach for it nearly as much as I used to the mini. For many people moving between a phone and a laptop/desktop covers all of their needs. For others a tablet works as a third device as long as the size and convenience fit. Apple, for all its stodginess about features and form factors, knows all of these use cases extremely well. That's why they make so many different sizes and types of iPads.

 

[progx]

My iPad Air M1 still gets a lot of use. I've used more than any other iPad I've had before it too. Use it for work for notes, specially my company uses Office 365 and OneNote pairs to it very easily. It's my primary browsing device if I'm away from Mac mini M4, plus reader. The iPad has been useful as a third monitor when I need it, so whenever I get a MacBook, I know it'll be the perfect portable monitor.

However, I won't likely upgrade it every few years since I don't put it through its paces.

 

[Ulfric]

This is the only market where I think apple has no competition. So, no wonder Apple is dominating here. I have been using an iPad air 11 for a while. Only Apple device I own. Apart from Procreate, Zbrush & Onenote I don't have any other app installed. It's all about taking notes, Drawing & sketching & then Sculpting as much workflow iPad version of Zbrush allows. Apple pencil is a life saver, the experience is top notch, Hard to replicate in any Windows device & Android apps are lacking apps.

 

[Shanghaichica]

I actually bought 2 iPads last year. I thought I hadn’t bought a lot of apple devices lately. Then I realised I’ve bought an Apple device for last 4 quarters.

 

[Naraxus]

What a ridiculous statement. The non-iPad tablets sold in 2024 had a 61.4% market share, while iPad had a lowly 38.6% share. I hope you are not a math teacher.

Market share is irrelevent. Profit share is what matters and none of those "non iPads" even comes close to the genuine article.

 

[0049190]

Market share is irrelevent. Profit share is what matters and none of those "non iPads" even comes close to the genuine article.

Matters to who? It doesn’t matter to me. I don’t know or care how much profit these companies make.

 

[JaredJenkinsDesign]

I had a Samsung Galaxy Tab S6 Lite for awhile and while it was good value for the money, I barely ever used it as it was a bit sluggish. Thought about going for the Tab S9 during Black Friday a couple of months ago to give a tablet another try, this time with a more powerful device while still save a bit of money in comparison to the iPad Pro.

I ended up ponying up the extra money and going with a 11" base M4 iPad Pro and I'm 100% glad I went with Apple over Android here. Being in the Apple ecosystem makes a huge difference and it's just a more enjoyable experience to use at least for me.

 

[ProbablyDylan]

Can't say I'm surprised. What other reputable brand makes a quality tablet for $350?

 

[dampfnudel]

We collaborate with various professionals, including real estate agents, medical offices, and corporate event production companies. In these industries, iPads and iPad Pros are not merely basic computing devices; they are regarded as significantly more powerful and convenient than laptops for tasks such as marking up documents, creating AR designs, and reviewing and editing media.

The Mac rumor forum often lacks professional perspectives on iPad use, leading to discussions primarily between non-users. critics. and casual home consumers.

Fair enough. There are special case uses for the iPad. In addition to the examples you mentioned pilots love using the mini and other iPads. It’s a very beneficial device for them. Restaurants and other businesses make good use of them. By the way, do you have a PC/Mac?

 

[dampfnudel]

I did my part by buying my Mini 7 during Q4. You're welcome, Tim!

I’ll do my part when Apple drops the 120Hz OLED mini 8 next year (with reduced bezel). Until then, it will be a hopefully different looking iPhone 17 Pro and AirPods Pro 3 for me.

 

[Abazigal]

Matters to who? It doesn’t matter to me. I don’t know or care how much profit these companies make.

Well, profits might explain why Apple is still in business and many other tablet makers have either closed down, exited the market altogether, or just not support their products for very long.

 

[cwwilson]

There was a time when I basically stopped using my iPad outside of streaming radio/music when I had my 2020 iPad Pro and felt that I didn't really need it anymore. Mine was a 12.9" with the Smart Keyboard Folio attached and so it resembled a quasi laptop. When I sold it off and replaced it with the new M4 however, it changed things for me. Since I don't have a keyboard cover for this one I am actually picking it up and holding it in my hands like all the iPads I had before my previous one and I am more appreciative of the thinness and lightness of the new chassis. It brought back the joy of having an iPad just like the good old days and I've found myself using my iPad more than ever.

I think having the SKF on my last one made me treat it more like a laptop and since it is worse as a laptop than my actual MBA I just sorta shied away from it. That is not the case with the M4 iPP. The iPad is meant to be held when used, not sitting propped up like a computer. I do have a case that I can put on my iPad that folds when I bring it places and want to use it for streaming sports/TV etc but for the most part I go case free at home and it really does change things.

 

[thefrost]

This shouldn't surprise anyone.