Q1 Tablet Sales Tumble

Apple and Samsung suffered double-digit Q1 shipment declines in tablets, Strategy Analytics said in a report. Despite “pockets of growth” in the market among Huawei, LG and TCL-Alcatel, the overall tablet market fell 8 percent year over year while Apple and Samsung are using 2015 as a “rebuilding year” for future growth, Strategy Analytics said. Smaller, more nimble competitors are gaining on Apple and Samsung with “innovative new features and cellular-connected tablets,” analyst Eric Smith said. The period of “phenomenal historic growth has come to an end and a much more normal growth rate is now prevailing,” he said. Apple has begun a marketing campaign to revive sales "after a five-quarter slump,” analyst Peter King said.