[April 29, 2016] |
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Global Tablet Shipments Fell 35% in First Quarter but Sales of Amazon's Fire Tablet Remained Strong, According to TrendForce
Global market research firm TrendForce reports worldwide tablet
shipments in the first quarter of 2016 totaled 35.2 million units,
translating to a 35% drop from the previous quarter and a 7.9% drop from
a year ago.
TrendForce notebook analyst Anita Wang said branded tablet vendors'
shipment results were mediocre following their impressive fourth-quarter
performances that were supported by the peak season demand. As
large-size smartphones continue to erode the tablet market, the trend of
tablets becoming even larger has become more apparent. TrendForce's data
shows the 7.x-inch tablets accounted for less than 40% of the total
tablet shipments in the first quarter. This is a significant contraction
from a year earlier when this size segment still held 51% of the
shipment share. Conversely, tablets sized 11.x inches and above have
increased their percentage in the total shipments to 10% in the first
quarter from 1.5% a year ago. Apple's iPad Pro and Microsoft's Surface
Pro 4 are the main contributors to the shipment growth of large-size
tablets.
Huawei (News - Alert) retained its fifth-place ranking despite market headwinds
while worries about the sales momentum of the 12.9-inch iPad Pro started
to emerge
Apple (News - Alert) was still the leading brand by shipments in the first quarter with
10.3 million units shipped, amounting to a 36% quarterly decline and an
18.8% year-on-year decrease. Wang noted that the 9.7-inch iPad Pro was
released this March, so the bulk of its shipments will fall into the
second quarter and drive the growth of the overall iPad shipments
against market headwinds. The sales of the 12.9-inch iPad, on the other
hand, have started to decelerate after two quarters since its release.
Weakening sales of this product may constrain the growth of Apple's
tablet shipments in this second quarter.
Samsung (News - Alert) kept its position as the No. 2 brand in the first-quarter
shipment ranking. The South Korean vendor shipped 6.5 million unis,
down 30% from the prior quarter and down 26.5% year on year. The market
only saw two new tablets from Samsung in the first quarter, one each in
the 7-inch and the 12-inch size categories. The lack of fresh products,
the erosion of the 7-inch tablet market by large smartphones and
seasonality all resulted in sharp shipment decline for Samsung during
this period.
Amazon's first-quarter tablet shipments stood at 2.2 million units,
representing a huge 47% decline compared with the prior three-month
period but also a skyrocketing year-on-year growth of 337%. The Fire
tablet, which has seen strong sales since the fourth quarter, helped
propel Amazon's shipments in the off season and allowed the vendor to
retain its third place ranking in the first quarter.
Lenovo's (News - Alert) first-quarter tablet shipments fell 26% compared with the
previous quarter to 2.2 million units. The Chinese brand shared the same
spot with Amazon in the ranking. Lenovo kept up its shipments and
continued with promotional activities in Europe during the off season
since its final fiscal quarter aligns with the January to March period.
Huawei shipped 2 million units in the first quarter, a 10% drop compared
with the previous period. Nonetheless, it remained as the fifth-largest
tablet brand after overtaking ASUS and Microsoft (News - Alert) in the fourth-quarter
ranking last year. According to Wang, Huawei has been able to endure the
downturn in the tablet market and maintained its role as a major vendor
because of its vast retail network for mobile devices. The Chinese brand
has also achieved strong shipments numbers by releasing a variety of
tablet models in large volumes and increasing its promotional activities
in the emerging markets.
Microsoft held on to the sixth place in the first-quarter ranking owing
to the brisk sales of Surface Pro 4. However, Microsoft will not be able
to maintain its sales momentum this year if its next-generation Surface
Pro 5 is released much later in the first quarter of 2017. TrendForce
anticipates Microsoft to yield its ranking spot to ASUS and drop down to
seventh place in the second quarter.
For tablet ranking table and more details, please visit http://press.trendforce.com/press/20160429-2458.html.
About TrendForce (www.trendforce.com)
TrendForce is a global provider of the latest development, insight, and
analysis of the technology industry. Having served businesses for over a
decade, the company has built up a strong base membership base of
410,000 subscribers. TrendForce has established a reputation as an
organization that offers insightful and accurate analysis of the
technology industry through five major research divisions: DRAMXchange,
WitsView, LEDinside, EnergyTrend and Topology Research Institute.
Founded in Taipei, Taiwan in 2000, TrendForce has extended its presence
in China since 2004 with offices in Shenzhen and Beijing.
View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20160429005344/en/
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