Apple Inc. (AAPL) iPad Market Share Drops 30%

Updated on

Almost 50 million tablets were sold across the world in the first quarter of the new year, according to a new report. One of the most interesting aspect of the report is that Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) tablets, in the form of the iPad, no longer dominate the market, in fact the firm’s market share has dropped a huge amount year on year. The report was published by the IDC and is available here.

Apple Inc. (AAPL) iPad Market Share Drops 30%

In the first three months of 2013, Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) sold 19.5 million units of its iPad tablet. Those sales made up just under 40 percent of the international tablet market. This time last year, however, Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) was almost the only player in the tablet market, and had a share of more than 58 percent.

The company’s market share has dropped by more than 30 percent, and Android appears to be the big platform in the market right now. Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. (LON:BC94) (KRX:005930) has been the big winner in the last year. The firm’s lower cost and premium tablet rose from 11.3 percent of a share in the first quarter of 2012 to a 17.9 percent share in the first quarter of 2013. The firm’s tablet shipments rose to 8.8 million, up 240 percent from the same quarter last year. ‘

Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) remains the single biggest player in the market, but Android is the biggest platform. A mix of the increase in quality of Android tablets, this time last year there were very few true competitors to the iPad in the premium sector, and the targeting of the vibrant low cost tablet demographic, which was begun by Amazon.com, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMZN) with the Kindle Fire.

Amazon.com, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMZN) appears to be suffering from problems with international sales. The firm’s market share sat at 5.5 percent in the first quarter of 2012, down from a high of close to 7 percent in the third quarter of last year. The company tries to offer its Kindle Fire tablets in countries where it is able to license content, putting a constraint on the company that others do not face.

One thing is clear from the IDC report. The world is moving to tablets, and it is moving quickly. All of the big companies involved in the market are doing well, and as the market continues to expand they are likely to continue bringing in super normal profits. That’s good for Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) and Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. (LON:BC94) (KRX:005930), and every other player in the market.

Leave a Comment