Tablets shipment numbers haven’t been able to maintain the same momentum as smartphone sales. In it’s latest quarterly tablet tracker, International Data Corporation (IDC) states that the worldwide tablet market has seen a slump with a 14.7 percent year-on-year decline in terms of shipments. In Q3 2015, the tablet sales stood at 50.5 million units, which came down to 43 million units in Q3 2016. But when compared to Q2 2016, the Q3 2016 shipments were up by 9.8 percent, thanks to upcoming holiday season.
One of the major reasons being stated is the rise in low-cost detachables being sold under $200 (approx Rs 13,500). But according to IDC’s senior research analyst Jitesh Ubrani, low cost detachables also lead to a low cost experience, which is detrimental.
“The race to the bottom is something we have already experienced with slates and it may prove detrimental to the market in the long run as detachables could easily be seen as disposable devices rather than potential PC replacements,” said Ubrani.
The state of tablets
Among the tablet makers, only Amazon and Huawei showed a growth from last year. Apple with 9.3 million units sold is still a market leader in the tablet category with a 21.5 percent market share. Samsung follows with 6.5 million units sold and 15.1 percent market share. Amazon at number 3 recorded the largest year-on-year growth of 319 percent thanks to the Amazon Prime Daily Sale, which saw the