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Apple’s share of global tablet market slips
Junko Yoshida
11/5/2012 5:35 PM EST
NEW YORK – Apple’s global tablet sales slipped substantially in the third quarter, according to preliminary data released Monday (Nov. 5) by International Data Corporation (IDC). Apple’s share slipped from 65.5 percent in the second quarter of 2012 to 50.4 percent in third quarter.
The decline signals heated competition in the tablet market during the next quarterly after Apple launched its iPad Mini. The slowdown creates an opening for competing Android and Microsoft Windows 8-based tablets.
Separately, Apple Monday reported that the company sold 3 million units of iPad over the past three days. However, the company did not say how many of them were iPad minis
Samsung, Amazon, ASUS and Lenovo gained market share at Apple's expense, according to IDC’s data. Samsung, armed with a variety of tablet models, recorded the most impressive quarter, shipping 5.1 million units worldwide in the third quarter, up 115 percent from the second quarter.
Lenovo and ASUS also recorded solid year-over-year growth, IDC said.
Consumers interested in buying an Apple tablet may have waited during the third quarter in anticipation of the new iPad Mini. Still, the 3Q results indicate growing diversity and competition in the tablet market.
Amazon announced its new 7- and 8.9-inch Kindle Fire HD tablets late in the quarter, and began shipping the new 7-inch HD in mid-September. They boosted Amazon’s global market share from 4.8 percent in the second quarter of 2012 to 9 percent in the third, despite shipping only in the U.S.
IDC said share growth for ASUS was backed by strong shipments of its Google-branded Nexus 7 tablet. Meanwhile, Lenovo's gains were driven by strong shipments in China, the market watcher said.
Worldwide tablet shipments totaled 27.8 million units in the third quarter of 2012, according to IDC. The tablet market grew 49.5 percent year-on-year in 3Q and 6.7 percent over the second quarter.
Top 5 Vendors, Worldwide Tablet Shipments, 3Q, 2012 (Preliminary)
(Units Shipments are in millions)
(Units Shipments are in millions)
Source: IDC
Related stories:
Teardown: Inside Google's Nexus 7 tablet
Teardown: Apple iPad Mini
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