iPad Demand Soars as Apple Widens Lead Over Samsung and Xiaomi

[MacRumors]

Apple led the global tablet market in the first quarter of 2025, achieving 14% year-over-year shipment growth amid heightened demand for iPads, according to new data from Canalys.

Worldwide tablet shipments reached 36.8 million units in the first quarter 2025, representing an 8.5% year-over-year increase. Apple shipped 13.7 million iPads during the quarter, up from 12.1 million in the first quarter of 2024, raising its global market share from 35.5% to 37.3%. The company's performance came in the context of growing replacement demand for tablets first purchased during the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic, supported by recent hardware updates to the iPad lineup.

Apple's shipment growth outpaced the broader market average and occurred despite increased competitive pressure from Chinese vendors including Xiaomi, Huawei, and HONOR. According to Canalys, these brands gained market share by targeting lower cost segments with wide device portfolios and by leveraging ecosystem integration across devices. Xiaomi, in particular, saw a 56.1% year-over-year increase in tablet shipments, reaching 3.1 million units and surpassing Lenovo for the first time.

Article Link: iPad Demand Soars as Apple Widens Lead Over Samsung and Xiaomi

 

[russell_314]

Of course. iPads are the only way to go.


There’s only two reasons to buy an android tablet. The most common is you want the cheapest possible tablet for a very young child who will destroy it. The second is you have some issue with Apple.

Did I forget one?

 

[Stuwil]

Of course. iPads are the only way to go.


There’s only two reasons to buy an android tablet. The most common is you want the cheapest possible tablet for a very young child who will destroy it. The second is you have some issue with Apple.

Did I forget one?

Or you just want want to use another company’s product
Just because you buy another tablet then it’s quite possible it meets your requirements and not because you have an issue with Apple

 

[WarmWinterHat]

Of course. iPads are the only way to go.


There’s only two reasons to buy an android tablet. The most common is you want the cheapest possible tablet for a very young child who will destroy it. The second is you have some issue with Apple.

Did I forget one?

I've never seen an Android tablet in the wild, other than permanently attached to some medical equipment and running a proprietary OS or overlay. I do see Fire tablets when traveling, and I guess, technically, it's an Android tablet...but not really?

Personally, I have never had a use for a tablet other than an iPad 2 (yes, it still works and I won it in a raffle) I have in my workshop to watch streaming MLB. I've bought and sold four iPads..I'd use them for a couple weeks, then they would end up gathering dust for months at a time.

 

[UliBaer]

I use smart phone and desktop computers. Tablets were - for me - always considered couch and toilet computers.
...so the brand doesn't really matter.

 

[CalMin]

Only people I know who use Android Tablets are my parents who got them free with some cellphone deal a few years back. They only stream shows on them. I suppose I have to concede that a couple of friends with young children also use Amazon Fire tablets - again as streaming devices.

iPad just does the tablet thing so much better than Android that it's no surprise that it dominates the market.

 

[Royksöpp]

Samsung is the only company that produces tablets that are comparable to the iPad, everything else is just garbage.

 

[hieranonymous]

I've never seen an Android tablet in the wild, other than permanently attached to some medical equipment and running a proprietary OS or overlay. I do see Fire tablets when traveling, and I guess, technically, it's an Android tablet...but not really?

Personally, I have never had a use for one other an iPad 2 (yes, it still works) I have in my workshop to watch streaming MLB. I've bought and sold four iPads..I'd use them for a couple weeks, then they would end up gathering dust for months at a time.

I’ve only ever seen non-Apple tablets as paid product placement in movies or on television.

 

[Apleeseed84]

My sis is visiting me and had me buy her a kindle scribe, I had my eye on the paperweight for reading but she got the scribe for being able to write on ebooks. however it wasn’t color, she wants to return it but in the end she finally figured out how to use it.

All her issues aside, I’ll just stick with my “13 IPad Pro with MKB and pencil pro LOL, as much as I complain, I don’t need another tablet for reading, it’s not the nano screen but it does the job.

 

[It’s always something]

Of course. iPads are the only way to go.


There’s only two reasons to buy an android tablet. The most common is you want the cheapest possible tablet for a very young child who will destroy it. The second is you have some issue with Apple.

Did I forget one?

Some folks might want or need to save money. 🤷‍♂️

 

[Stuwil]

Samsung is the only company that produces tablets that are comparable to the iPad, everything else is just garbage.

Well that’s not particularly true
In some parts of the world

 

[StralyanPithecus]

Unfortunately even that there is out there great hardware in some tablets, the issue with with me is the OS and the Apple integration. Android tablets look like big phones, most apps are not design for tablets but for phones, and is pathetic ugly. My wife uses Android, I've tried several times Android Tablets and I miserably failed to integrate them into my workflow.

 

[Dr McKay]

Samsung is the only company that produces tablets that are comparable to the iPad, everything else is just garbage.

Xiaomi make some nice stuff but for some reason they keep their best stuff for China only. I flit back and forth between iOS and android devices. The last android device I had was the Pad 5 Pro 12.4, it was basically an iPad Pro in design but running android. If I hadn’t switched to iPad specifically for Procreate I’d likely still be using it.

 

[Stuwil]

Xiaomi make some nice stuff but for some reason they keep their best stuff for China only. I flit back and forth between iOS and android devices. The last android device I had was the Pad 5 Pro 12.4, it was basically an iPad Pro in design but running android. If I hadn’t switched to iPad specifically for Procreate I’d likely still be using it.

Maybe the reason is xiaomi sell a variety of products in china so it’s easier to sell their products there compared with in the west.

 

[Agent007]

iPad only accounts for 7% of AAPL revenue. Mac 8%. iPhone half. Their so-called "services" 25%.

Explains the strategy of endlessly pumping out mediocre, barely-updated phones and AAPL's desire to keep shaming society into thinking everyone needs the newest iDevice to "not look poor" (I'm guilty of falling for it, too). If iPhone loses dominance in the US they are seriously screwed. I doubt they will ever make another product that reaches the same level of success.

 

[Dr McKay]

Maybe the reason is xiaomi sell a variety of products in china so it’s easier to sell their products there compared with in the west.

They sold the Pad 5 here in Europe and elsewhere, but the Pro series of the Pad 5 family were china exclusive, despite being the exact same device but with beefier specs.

 

[Stuwil]

They sold the Pad 5 here in Europe and elsewhere, but the Pro series of the Pad 5 family were china exclusive, despite being the exact same device but with beefier specs.

I suspect it’s probably about the demographic

 

[klasma]

There’s only two reasons to buy an android tablet. The most common is you want the cheapest possible tablet for a very young child who will destroy it. The second is you have some issue with Apple.

Did I forget one?

I bought and use an OLED Android tablet because in the dark at very low brightness, it has less temporal dithering noise than the M4 iPad Pro (I wanted to upgrade from the former to the latter, but due to that upgraded to a newer Android instead), just enough to make the difference between distracting and nondistracting for me; and also for a few Android-only apps. In addition, I prefer some aspects of the Android web browsers. I nevertheless also own and use several iPads.

 

[Stuwil]

iPad only accounts for 7% of AAPL revenue. Mac 8%. iPhone half. Their so-called "services" 25%.

Explains the strategy of endlessly pumping out mediocre, barely-updated phones and AAPL's desire to keep shaming society into thinking everyone needs the newest iDevice to "not look poor" (I'm guilty of falling for it, too). If iPhone loses dominance in the US they are seriously screwed. I doubt they will ever make another product that reaches the same level of success.

I don’t think Apple will have that problem in the US anytime soon
However I’m seeing more people with high end android devices

 

[EBone12355]

It would be interesting to know which iPad models are selling so well.

 

[one more]

I wonder why, considering there were not major changes neither in iPadOS nor hardware in that time period (since COVID). I mean I like my Air M1 a lot, just do not see any compelling reasons to upgrade yet.

 

[contacos]

Not really surprised. I genuinely prefer Android phones these days, which would have shocked most of my friends a few years ago since I used to be the biggest Apple fanboy.
But when it comes to tablets, Android still doesn’t come close to the iPad experience.

I used to think iPadOS was just a bigger version of iOS. Then I got an overpriced Samsung Tab through work. Honestly, it’s terrible.
I also have an Android phone, and the tablet really just feels like a larger phone. Most apps aren’t even optimized for tablets properly.

Having said that, I also use my iPad hardly anymore since I got a Folding phone now.

 

[Dr McKay]

Did I forget one?

Some people want their tablets for things that iPadOS literally cannot do.
Others just want it to watch videos, check email, surf the web and for them the difference between platforms makes zero difference to their experience.

 

[rp2011]

I love my M4 iPad Pro, should come with at least 16 GB memory standard though. That’s its main flaw for me when working with 3D models. The pencil makes it amazing for sculpting and painting models, but the lack of memory makes you scale it all the way back and find workarounds.

 

[badgerbadgerx2]

Im not sure why shipments are up, but we have bought 3 in the last year. I get that some people never have a use for them, but much like Ive never used a laptop in any way shape or form, doesn't mean millions of other peeps couldn't live without one.

wife is constantly FB, IG, YT, apple news for dozens of things first thing when shes up... and TV in bed. Plus all the regular stuff... work emails, zoom meetings, etc. its 1000X easier than a laptop for her. We call it her boyfriend. If she needs to do tons of emails or reports shes got a desk with a mini. Refurb 11" M1 Pro, was $600. kids are in college and use the base iPads with pencils for notes. $275 on BF last year. They zip thru them like its nothing. Like watching a teenager text for the first time and wondering how in HELL can they get their fingers moving that fast.

That said, they all have alternatives to the iPad, minis and MBAs.

For purely content consumption, its great, and from an apple eco system -- photos, texts, facetime, all synced.