Worldwide Tablet Market Falloff Continues on Lack of Innovation, Limited Portfolios, Says IDC

The worldwide tablet market continued its decline in Q2, falling 7 percent from the year-ago quarter due to “little hardware innovation” and “limited vendor portfolio updates,” said IDC. Apple continued to lead the market with nearly 25 percent share, but iPad shipments tumbled 18 percent in the quarter to 11 million, compared with Q2 2014, said IDC. No. 2 Samsung's shipments dropped 12 percent to 7.6 million. Apple’s share shrunk from 27.7 percent to 24.5 percent in the quarter, while Samsung’s share slipped from 18 percent to 17 percent, said IDC. A “profound shift in the vendor landscape” showed Apple and Samsung’s combined share dropping from 45 to 41 percent while the share of vendors LG, Huawei and E FUN grew, said analyst Jean Philippe Bouchard. The top five vendors had 54 percent of the market, down from 58 percent in Q2 2014, said Bouchard. Huawei broke into the top five ranking for the first time, and E FUN re-entered the top 10 after more than a year, he said. Lenovo maintained the three spot, shipping 2.5 million units, with 5.7 percent market share. Huawei (3.7 percent share) and LG (3.6 percent share) were virtually tied in fourth place, with each shipping 1.6 million tablets. Share outside the top five outpaced the market with 46 percent of total tablet shipments in Q2, said IDC. Longer life cycles, competition from larger smartphones and the ability for users to install the latest operating systems on older tablets “has stifled the initial enthusiasm for these devices in the consumer market," said analyst Jitesh Ubrani. Newer form factors, including 2-in-1s, and added productivity features could bring new vitality to “a market that has lost its momentum," said Ubrani.