The tablet market faced another challenging period in the third quarter of 2023, with a significant 14.2% year-over-year decrease in shipments worldwide, amounting to 33.2 million units. This decline follows a massive 29.9% decrease observed in the previous quarter, Q2 2023. Despite ongoing demand difficulties, the market did experience an 18% increase from the previous quarter due to seasonal factors.
Apple maintained its leading position in the tablet market, shipping 12.5 million units, marking a 15.1% year-over-year decline, despite not introducing new models during the quarter. Samsung secured the second position, shipping 6 million units, exhibiting resilience amid market challenges. Lenovo, HUAWEI, and Amazon followed, with 2.6 million, 2.3 million, and a surprise return to the top 5, respectively, leveraging the holiday season with the launch of a new value-priced premium device, the Fire Max 11.
However, Chromebook shipments also suffered a decline of 20.8% in Q3 2023. There is hope for a potential rebound in the Chromebook market due to an upcoming refresh in the education sector and government budget allocations.
According to IDC’s Mobility and Consumer Device Trackers, tablets struggle to find their place between PCs and smartphones, negatively impacting the market. To thrive, manufacturers are realizing the need for tablets to complement PCs and smartphones, possibly leading to more integrated software and services experiences in the future.
Despite the holiday season approaching, Anuroopa Nataraj, a Senior Research Analyst with IDC’s Mobility and Consumer Device Trackers, anticipates limited changes in the market. Macroeconomic conditions and delays in projects and purchases are expected to extend into 2024, indicating a prolonged and uncertain road to recovery for the tablet market.
