76.9 million tablets were shipped around the world in the last three months of of 2013, according to figures from the International Data Corporation (IDC). That’s 62.4% up from the previous quarter and a year-on-year increase of 28.2%, although a much lower growth rate than the same quarter in 2012.
Total tablet shipments for 2013 reached 217.1 million units; up 50.6% from the previous year.
Apple’s 26 million iPads in Q4 2013 gave it a 33.8% market share for the quarter, followed by Samsung with an 18.8% share worldwide, then Amazon (7.6%), ASUS (5.1%), and Lenovo (4.4%). IDC noted that Lenovo - which has recently agreed to acquire Motorola Mobility - more than trebled its tablet market share from 1.3% in Q4 2012.
Tom Mainelli, Research Director for Tablets at IDC, said “It’s becoming increasingly clear that markets such as the U.S. are reaching high levels of consumer saturation and while emerging markets continue to show strong growth this has not been enough to sustain the dramatic worldwide growth rates of years past. We expect commercial purchases of tablets to continue to accelerate in mature markets, but softness in the consumer segment—brought about by high penetration rates and increased competition for the consumer dollar—point to a more challenging environment for tablets in 2014 and beyond.”
[IDC Worldwide Quarterly Tablet Tracker]