The iPhone is seemingly reaching a saturation point, and that’s not the only Apple hardware in decline. The market research firm IDC has generated a tablet tracker that highlights the iPad’s market share has fallen. This despite the iPad Pro outstripping the Surface Pro 4 during the holidays.
The latest figures from IDC show the iPad Pro had a decent enough launch. The iPad Pro shipped about two million units. In comparison, Microsoft’s Surface tablets, which include the Surface Pro 4, sold about 1.
6 million devices. That’s enough to make the iPad Pro the leading tablet.
An IDC research analyst stated: “Despite lukewarm reviews, the iPad Pro was the clear winner this season as it was the top-selling detachable, surpassing notable entries from Microsoft and other PC vendors. It’s also important to note that the transition towards detachable tablets has presented positive opportunities for both Apple and Microsoft.
” However, Microsoft still probably has a little more to celebrate than Apple. For starters, Microsoft stated its Surface hardware peaked in the last quarter of 2015. It had a 22 percent increase on the last year.
In comparison, despite the iPad Pro’s launch, the IDC charts show that Apple’s tablets have declined. Yes, the company is still the leader in the industry; but its overall year-over-year growth has dropped by 24.8%. That’s a fairly substantial drop for the big A.
However, that drop is a general trend in the tablet industry. Most of the leading tablet vendors have had a similar decline. For example, IDC’s table puts Samsung in second place behind Apple for tablets; but its year-over-year ‘growth’ figure has fallen by 18.1%. The overall number of tablet shipments has dropped by 13.7%.
So the IDC charts and tables show the tablet industry is declining. The iPad’s figures have dropped for a while now. It seems that basic tablets are no longer having much impact and that more flexible models such as the Microsoft Surface series are making more headway.
To halt the decline of the iPad, Apple might have more new tablet devices in the pipeline. It’s rumored that Apple will unveil an iPad Air 3 in the next few months.
Along with the iPad Pro, that could give the iPad series a boost in 2016.
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