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iPad Demand Surges as Apple Strengthens Grip on Tablet Market

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Apple expanded its lead in the global tablet market in late 2025 as overall shipments rebounded, according to new research from Omdia.

iPad-Pro-2024-vs-Air-2024-Feature.jpg

Global tablet shipments reportedly reached 162 million units in 2025, representing 9.8% year-over-year growth. The research firm said the strongest momentum occurred during the holiday quarter, when shipments reached 44 million units, also up 9.8% compared to the same quarter a year earlier. Omdia described the annual total as the highest shipment volume recorded since the surge in demand seen in 2020, partly caused by anticipation of memory supply constraints.

Apple was a key contributor to the market's late-year growth. Omdia says that Apple shipped 19.6 million iPads in the fourth quarter of 2025, representing a 16.5% year-over-year increase. The firm said this performance was driven by strong demand for the 11th-generation iPad and the M5 iPad Pro.

The fourth-quarter results increased Apple's market share to 44.9%. This placed Apple well ahead of other tablet vendors during the holiday quarter, with Samsung at 14.7%, Lenovo at 8.8%, Huawei at 6.9%, and Xiaomi at 6.4%. Other manufacturers collectively accounted for the remaining 18.3% of shipments.

The report also highlighted changes in how tablets are expected to be positioned in the coming years, including greater emphasis on ecosystem integration and artificial intelligence features:

On the product side, we expect a shift in how tablets are positioned and marketed, with vendors framing them as ecosystem-centric devices in a more controlled demand environment. This includes the introduction of cross-OS functionality and a focus on AI-driven experiences. Recent examples include Lenovo's Qira, which operates across Windows and Android to deliver a more seamless user experience and reduce friction between AI assistants. In addition, the collaboration between Apple and Google to use Gemini for future Apple Intelligence features represents a positive step forward for the generative AI ecosystem across its device portfolio, including iPads.
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Regional performance varied across the year. Omdia said Central and Eastern Europe recorded the fastest growth in 2025, followed by Asia Pacific. All regions experienced double-digit growth except North America, where vendor and retail discounting helped offset an otherwise declining trend during the holiday season.

Article Link: iPad Demand Surges as Apple Strengthens Grip on Tablet Market
 
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https://www.macrumors.com/2026/02/05/ipad-demand-surges/
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Hmm I'm not so sure. I think the general trend is a march away from tablets back to laptops as many of the benefits the iPad had (such as better battery, instant on, lightweight, no fan) are wiped out with modern ARM chips. In fact today a MacBook Air gets double the battery of an iPad. You also have the market being further squeezed by larger phones.

Personally I think Apple needs to reimagine the iPad as an ultra lightweight laptop/phone companion, a magic piece of paper which is used as a second screen, to draw on, to read, to watch tv where it makes sense and then put away, maybe it even folds, or magnetically attaches to your laptop when not in use. I think this represents a better function for the device rather than adding keyboard cases and trying to turn it into a laptop. Treat the iPad as an accessory to the core devices which are the iPhone and MacBook.

I'd love to see some real experience driven innovation here rather than trudging out spec updates of the Air, the Pro, the base every year.
 
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tomtad said:
Hmm I'm not so sure. I think the general trend is a march away from tablets back to laptops as many of the benefits the iPad had (such as better battery, instant on, lightweight, no fan) are wiped out with modern ARM chips. In fact today a MacBook Air gets double the battery of an iPad. You also have the market being further squeezed by larger phones.

Personally I think Apple needs to reimagine the iPad as an ultra lightweight laptop/phone companion, a magic piece of paper which is used as a second screen, to draw on, to read, to watch tv where it makes sense and then put away, maybe it even folds, or magnetically attaches to your laptop when not in use. I think this represents a better function for the device rather than adding keyboard cases and trying to turn it into a laptop. Treat the iPad as an accessory to the core devices which are the iPhone and MacBook.

I'd love to see some real experience driven innovation here rather than trudging out spec updates of the Air, the Pro, the base every year.
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This analysis works for some tablet users, but often in these forums, mobile professionals such as real estate agents, event producers, medical practices, and others are overlooked. The iPad is not just a media consumption device or a modular laptop; it is a versatile tablet computing platform with many custom apps created for small businesses and enterprises.
 
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I make use of my MBP for mobile and desktop needs (which are light as it is). Would be cool to switch to a mac mini / ipad pro set up but $$$ and probably not worth the hassle.
 
tomtad said:
Hmm I'm not so sure. I think the general trend is a march away from tablets back to laptops as many of the benefits the iPad had (such as better battery, instant on, lightweight, no fan) are wiped out with modern ARM chips. In fact today a MacBook Air gets double the battery of an iPad. You also have the market being further squeezed by larger phones.

Personally I think Apple needs to reimagine the iPad as an ultra lightweight laptop/phone companion, a magic piece of paper which is used as a second screen, to draw on, to read, to watch tv where it makes sense and then put away, maybe it even folds, or magnetically attaches to your laptop when not in use. I think this represents a better function for the device rather than adding keyboard cases and trying to turn it into a laptop. Treat the iPad as an accessory to the core devices which are the iPhone and MacBook.

I'd love to see some real experience driven innovation here rather than trudging out spec updates of the Air, the Pro, the base every year.
Click to expand...
None of the ARM laptops has the simplicity of an iPad. As long as you are dealing with windows or Mac it will never be as simple or effortless as an iPad.
 
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