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Global tablet market grew in the September ending quarter, driven by increased demand for basic computing devices.
Worldwide tablet shipments expanded 24.9% to 47.6 million units in the September ending quarter 2020, compared with the previous year, according to a report by research firm International Data Corporation (IDC).
“The demand for affordable access to basic computing and larger screens to facilitate remote work, learning, and leisure due to COVID-19 restrictions drove the market,” IDC noted in a report.
Apple retained its spot as the market leader in this category of devices, while Samsung regained the second position as Amazon slipped to third spot, followed by Huawei, and Lenovo.
The iPad-maker’s shipments grew 17.4% to 13.9 million units in the third quarter compared with the previous year. Apple’s iPad 2019 held the largest share of the shipments as the company performed well in the education segment, and witnessed growth in the consumer segment after two weak quarters.
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Samsung's tablet shipments expanded 89.2% year on year with 9.4 million units shipped in the September ending quarter.
“As demand for more mobile, portable computing solutions has increased, Samsung has focused on its Android detachable portfolio, which recorded solid growth in the quarter,” IDC explained in a report.
Amazon was the only company among the top five vendors to experience a drop in shipments. It shipped 5.4 million units in the third quarter with a decline of 1.2% year-over-year. According to the report, the third quarter shipments in 2019 were driven by Prime Day sales.
The two Chinese companies in the top five, shipped about 9 million units together in the third quarter. Huawei’s shipments grew 32.9% year-over-year having shipped 4.9 million units in the third quarter. While, Lenovo shipped 4.1 million units in the third quarter for year on year growth of 62.4%.
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“Despite the sanctions from the US government, Huawei managed to grow across multiple geographies, including outside China,” IDC noted in a report.
“Consumer spending on technology has also been on the rise while other categories, such as dining, entertainment, and travel, have declined during the pandemic,” it added.
