Tablet sales seem to have hit a downward spiral. This comes after tablet shipments reached an all-time high in 2020 though post that, sales have been always on the decline. It still is higher than what it was in 2018 and 2019 but lower than in 2016 and 2017. Specifically, according to data released by Canalys, there has been a 10 percent decline in tablet shipments in 2023 compared to what it was in 2022.
Apple however continues to lead the pack. Of the 135.3 million tablets that were shipped in 2023, the Apple iPad makes for the single largest chunk with 54 million sales. That however makes for a 11 percent drop in sales considering that there have been 60 million iPads sold in 2022. All of this led to a marginal decline in market share, from 40.4 percent in 2022 to 40.0 percent in 2023.
Samsung came in at the second slot with 25.6 million tablets sold in 2023 which is 11.5 percent less than the 29 million tablets it pushed in 2022. Market share remained almost the same – 19.3 percent in 2022 compared to 19 percent in 2023.
Lenovo which occupies the third slot witnessed an even higher – 19.4 percent – decline in sales. It shipped 9.3 million tablets in 2023 compared to 11.5 million in 2022, with market share declining from 7.7 percent in 2022 to 6.9 percent in the following year.
Huawei, which is fourth on the list is the only manufacturer among the top five to register positive growth. It shipped 8.3 million tablets in 2023 compared to 6.2 million in 2022, which marks an improvement of 32.1 percent. Market share improved to 6.1 percent in 2023 compared to 4.2 percent in the preceding year.
Amazon is at the fifth spot and registered the largest dip in sales. While it shipped 13.6 million tablets in 2022, sales dipped to about 7.8 million in 2023, which marks a decline of a whopping 42.9 percent.
When taking into account the last quarter of 2023, it is 14.8 million iPads that Apple shipped during the period compared to 19.4 million tablets shipped in 2022. This led to a significant dip in market share, from 46.1 percent in Q4 2022 to 39.2 percent in Q4 2023. Sales declined by a substantial 24 percent.
For Samsung, it has been 6.8 million tablets shipped in the last quarter compared to 7.6 million in Q4 2022. Interestingly, market share remained flat at 18 percent though sales declined by 10.5 percent.
Among the top three, Huawei is the only one that exhibited strong positive growth of 95.4 percent. While it shipped 1.4 million tablets in Q4 2022, it almost doubled to 2.8 million sales in Q4 2023. Market share improved from 3.4 percent to 7.5 percent for the last quarter of 2022 and 2023 respectively.
Canalys researchers note that China and India have been the primary players in driving tablet sales, countering the prevailing stagnation observed in other regions worldwide. Remarkably, analysts believe the tablet market will rebound this year, attributing it to healthier inventory levels and the potential for increased government and commercial deployments. Further, there is expected to be a heightened emphasis on foldable tablets in the coming year, despite shipment numbers likely remaining modest due to their anticipated premium pricing.
With a keen interest in tech, I make it a point to keep myself updated on the latest developments in technology and gadgets. That includes smartphones or tablet devices but stretches to even AI and self-driven automobiles, the latter being my latest fad. Besides writing, I like watching videos, reading, listening to music, or experimenting with different recipes. The motion picture is another aspect that interests me a lot, and I'll likely make a film sometime in the future.
