Worldwide Tablet Shipments Up Only 3.9% YoY in Q1, 2014: IDC

Worldwide tablet plus 2-in-1 (laptop-tablet hybrid) shipments slipped to 50.4 million units in the first quarter of 2014, according to preliminary data from the International Data Corporation (IDC).

The first-quarter total represents a sequential, or quarter-on-quarter (QoQ), decline of 35.7% from the high-volume holiday fourth quarter and just 3.9% growth over the same period a year ago, or year-on-year (YoY). The slowdown was felt across operating systems and screen sizes and likely points to an even more challenging year ahead for the category, the major market intelligence firm said.

"The rise of large-screen phones and consumers who are holding on to their existing tablets for ever longer periods of time were both contributing factors to a weaker-than-anticipated quarter for tablets and 2-in-1s," said Tom Mainelli, IDC Program Vice President, Devices and Displays. "In addition, commercial growth has not been robust enough to offset the slowing of consumer shipments."

Apple maintained its lead in the worldwide tablet plus 2-in-1 market, shipping 16.4 million units. That's down from 26.0 million units in the previous quarter and well below its total of 19.5 million units in the first quarter of 2013. Despite the contraction, the company saw its share of the market slip only modestly to 32.5%, down from the previous quarter's share of 33.2%. Samsung once again grew its worldwide share, increasing from 17.2% of a quarter earlier to 22.3% in the first quarter. Samsung continues to work aggressively with carriers to drive tablet shipments through attractively priced smartphone bundles. Rounding out the top five were ASUS (5%), Lenovo (4.1%), and Amazon (1.9%).

"With roughly two-thirds share, Android continues to dominate the market," said Jitesh Ubrani, Research Analyst, Worldwide Quarterly Tablet Tracker. "Although its share of the market remains small, Windows devices continue to gain traction thanks to sleeper hits like the Asus T100, whose low cost and 2-in-1 form factor appeal to those looking for something that's 'good enough'."

Top-5 Tablet Vendors, Shipments, and Market Share (Q1 2014) Unit: million
Vendor	1Q14 Unit Shipments	1Q14 Market Share	1Q13 Unit Shipments	1Q13 Market Share	Year-over-Year Growth
Apple	16.4	32.5%	19.5	40.2%	-16.1%
Samsung	11.2	22.3%	8.5	17.5%	32.0%
ASUS	2.5	5.0%	2.6	5.4%	-2.8%
Lenovo	2.1	4.1%	0.6	1.3%	224.3%
Amazon.com Inc.	1.0	1.9%	1.8	3.7%	-47.1%
Others	17.2	34.2%	15.5	31.8%	11.5%
Grand Total	50.4	100.0%	48.6	100.0%	3.9%
Source: IDC Worldwide Quarterly Tablet Tracker, April 30, 2014 Note: Total tablet market includes slate tablets plus 2-in-1 tablets.