IDC, Strategy Analytics Report Different Takes on Struggling Q2 Tablet Market

IDC and Strategy Analytics had significantly different takes Thursday on the struggling Q2 global tablets market, with IDC reporting that unit shipments declined 13.5 percent to 33 million and SA estimating the decrease at 6 percent to 40.9 million. Both were consistent in calling Apple and Huawei the only companies in the top five to record year-over-year shipment increases in the quarter. Slate tablets had the majority of the market with 28.4 million units, down 14.5 percent from the previous year, said IDC. Detachable tablets also declined in Q2, “largely due to the high-profile product launches” in the same year-earlier quarter “and the absence of timely updates to those products” this year, it said. Android tablet vendors “are losing share and revenue due to falling prices and little innovation” to spur sales of new models, said SA. Android slates “took a beating” in Q2, it said. Android unit shipments overall fell 10 percent to 23.6 million units. Android tablets’ market share collectively declined by 2 percentage points year-on-year as white-box vendors “slowly consolidate and exit the market while many branded Android vendors have found it very difficult to compete on price,” said SA.