Worldwide tablet shipments grew 20,4% in the third quarter of 2024 (3Q24) – totaling 39,6-million units – according to preliminary data from the International Data Corporation (IDC) Worldwide Quarterly Personal Computing Device Tracker.
The dismal 2023 market makes for easy year-over-year comparisons, but optimism is growing on the supply side of the industry which is a win overall.
A handful of device refreshes occurred during the recent quarters and active channel filings were undertaken in preparation for major promotional events and the holiday season. Not surprising to anyone, AI is becoming increasingly integrated into the tablet market, but outside of the Surface led Windows detachable Co-Pilot+ marketing, the remainder is early days at best. Regardless, these innovations bring a wave of much needed optimism in the tablet market piquing consumer interest, and potentially higher ASPs.
3Q24 company highlights include:
- Apple shipped 12,6-million units, with a modest growth of 1,4% year-over-year in the quarter. Back to school season helped boost sales for the newly launched iPad Air model. The new iPad Pro performed below expectations as their prices are too steep and unattractive in emerging markets.
- Samsung had a great 2Q24 with 7,1-million shipments and year-over-year growth of 18,3%. They launched more premium tablets during the quarter with the Galaxy Tab S10 Ultra and Galaxy Tab S10+ with AI features. In Q3, their low-end Galaxy A9 models drove their sales across most regions. Commercial deployments also played a key role in driving shipments for Samsung.
- Amazon.com was back in the Top 5 and secured the third position in 3Q24 with a shipment of 4,6-million units and year-over-year growth of 111,3%. Their market share also increased by 6 percentage points. The company refreshed its Fire HD 8 model with some new AI tools by the end of the quarter. 3Q24 sales came mainly from their Prime Day deals. The vendor has had two Prime Days this year and offered discounts on most of their models.
- Huawei remained in the fourth position this quarter and recorded a solid growth of 44,1% year-over-year growth and shipments of 3,2-million units. Huawei launched several new products in both consumer and commercial markets which helped boost shipment growth in Q3. Among these new models, the MatePad SE 11 has made a notable contribution to the growth due to its competitive price.
- Lenovo moved down to the fifth position this quarter. Still, the company’s sales grew by 14,7% year-over-year with 3-million shipment units. Due to a lower base comparable in 2023Q3, most regions recorded growth in the quarter. There was also significant improvement in their commercial market performance. The biggest growth came from PRC and Western Europe.
“There are several appealing opportunities for vendors to increase their presence in the tablet market – collaboration with educational institutions, entertainment and gaming, cross device connectivity, integrations in healthcare and many more. Embracing AI-powered features to enhance user experience will facilitate growth across these areas. Recent innovations in AI have begun to attract consumers willing to pay a premium price,” says Anuroopa Nataraj, senior research analyst with IDC’s Mobility and Consumer Device Trackers. “As AI features and applications grow, more consumers will prioritise these advanced capabilities in their next purchase.”