For the sixth straight quarter, tablet sales have dropped. In 2016’s first quarter, 15 % fewer tablets were shipped compared to the year before, while market leaders Apple and Samsung even had to accept lower market shares in that shrinking market.
Apple and Samsung keep slipping away
Over the course of the first quarter of 2016, 39.6 million tablets were shipped, down 14.7 % compared to the year before. These figures also includes tablets with a removable keyboard, whose numbers went up with 4.9 million shipped in the first quarter, an absolute record for the quarter.
Apple and Samsung still dominate the market, but their share is dwindling: Apple shipped 10.3 million tablets for the quarter, down 18.8 % compared to the year before, resulting in a 25.9 % market share. Korean Samsung experienced a 28.1 % drop, with 8 million tablets shipped and a 15.2 % market share.
Microsoft still has not managed to enter the top 5 in tablet sales, despite its investments. According to research firm IDC, it will soon break into the top 5 as the company will focus a lot of future attention on tablets with a removable keyboard.
