Worldwide shipments of tablet devices grew by 142.4% year-on-year in the first quarter of 2013, according to a new report from the International Data Corporation. 49.2 million devices were shipped during the first three months of the year; more than total tablet sales in the first half of 2012.
Apple led the field, shipping 19.5 million iPad and iPad mini tablets, while second-place Samsung increased its market share by shipping 8.8 million units. Asus - the company that produces Google’s Nexus 7 tablet - moved into third place with 2.7 million devices. Amazon’s Kindle shipments also increased, although its 1.8 million devices weren’t enough to stop it slipping into fourth place. Microsoft moved into fifth place by shipping almost 900,000 Surface RT and Surface Pro tablets.
Tom Mainelli, Research Director for Tablets at IDC, said “Sustained demand for the iPad mini and increasingly strong commercial shipments led to a better-than expected first quarter for Apple. In addition, by moving the iPad launch to the fourth quarter of 2012, Apple seems to have avoided the typical first-quarter slowdown that traditionally occurred when consumers held off buying in January and February in anticipation of a new product launch in March.”
Android-based devices accounted for 56.5% of the worldwide tablet market in Q1 2013, while iOS had 19.5%. Windows and Windows RT combined had 3.7%. Figures for the same period last year put iOS ahead with 58.1% of the market.
Top five tablet vendors, shipments and market share, Q1 2013
(Shipments in millions)
|
Manufacturer
|
Q1 2013 unit shipments
|
Q1 2013 market share
|
Q1 2013 unit shipments
|
Q1 2012 market share
|
Year-on-year growth
|
|
Apple
|
19.5
|
39.6%
|
11.8
|
58.1%
|
65.3%
|
|
Samsung
|
8.8
|
17.9%
|
2.3
|
11.3%
|
282.6%
|
|
ASUS
|
2.7
|
5.5%
|
0.6
|
3.1%
|
350.0%
|
|
Amazon.com
|
1.8
|
3.7%
|
0.7
|
3.6%
|
157.1%
|
|
Microsoft
|
0.9
|
1.8%
|
0.0
|
N/A
|
N/A
|
|
Others
|
15.5
|
31.5%
|
4.9
|
24.1%
|
216.3%
|
|
Total
|
49.2
|
100.0%
|
20.3
|
100.0%
|
142.4%
|
[IDC Worldwide Quarterly Tablet Tracker]