Strong iPad shipments drive tablet market growth

A record-setting unit shipmentsof Apple's iPad led to a better-than-anticipated growth for the tablet marketduring the second quarter of this year, a market research report said.
According to preliminary data from market research firm International DataCorporation (IDC), worldwide tablet shipments for the second quarter of 2012are estimated at 25 million units, representing a quarter-over-quarter increaseof 33.6 percent from 18.7 million during the previous quarter andyear-over-year growth of 66.2 percent from 15 million units at the same timelast year.
IDC will release final shipment numbers for the second quarter later thismonth, reported Xinhua.
"The vast majority of consumers continue to favour the iPad overcompetitors, and Apple is seeing increasingly strong interest in the devicefrom vertical markets -- especially education," Tom Mainelli, IDC'sresearch director for mobile connected devices, said in a statement.
"While iPad shipment totals are beginning to slow a bit in mature marketswhere the device saw early traction, growth in other regions is clearly morethan making up the difference," he added.
Besides Apple, the other four of the top five tablet vendors, namely Samsung,Amazon, Asus and Acer, also experienced solid growth on a yearly basis duringthe second quarter.
Apple shipped around 17.04 million iPads during the quarter, followed bySamsung with 2.39 million units.
For the second half of 2012, IDC expects competition in the tablet market tocontinue to heat up as new products like Microsoft's Surface and Google/Asusco-branded Nexus 7 hit the store shelves.
However, IDC said new products could further secure Apple's position, ratherthan reshaping the market.
"If anything, there's a real risk that people will have too many optionsfrom which to choose this holiday season," said Bob O 'Donnell, IDC vicepresident for clients and display, in the report.
"Consumers baffled by the differences between Amazon and Google versionsof Android, or Windows 8 and Windows RT, may well default to market leaderApple. Or they may simply choose to remain on the sideline for anothercycle," he said.

Related Stories

No stories found.
The New Indian Express
www.newindianexpress.com