One in five tablet devices sold in the fourth quarter (Q4) of 2015 were detachable, according to the International Data Corporation (IDC).
A total of 2.6 million tablets with a detachable keyboard were shipped ? up from just over 800 000 units a year ago, accounting now for almost 20% of the overall tablet market, says the research firm.
"As the detachable tablets available on the market become more powerful and better suited to business requirements, this form factor has been successfully adopted by professionals and executives, as it perfectly addresses their mobility needs and is increasingly seen as a notebook replacement," said Daniel Goncalves, research analyst, IDC EMEA personal computing.
Although Microsoft established itself as the leader in this segment of devices in 2015, Q4 saw Apple enter the market with the iPad Pro and quickly capture a good share.
Apple ended the year as market leader despite a strong contraction in iPad volumes, which was only partially offset by shipments of the new iPad Pro.
Samsung declined less than the overall market, as it continues to target all market segments and on an annual basis strengthened its second position and closed the gap with Apple. Amazon climbed to third place thanks to its Kindle Fire line.
Lenovo slipped to fourth place despite out-performing the market, but ended 2015 in third position. Asus finished fifth in Q4, with the vendor focusing on profitable growth and increasing its foothold in products with higher specifications.
"Several industry players have recently launched or announced new detachable designs that in 2016 will compete in the commercial space and leverage the large opportunity created by enterprise mobility," said Marta Fiorentini, research manager, IDC EMEA personal computing.
Fiorentini adds: "Slate tablet prices have been declining for a while without necessarily rekindling demand. This quarter, the danger of a sharp drop in value was very real but thanks to detachables, the average market price increased by 3.8% year-on-year. New products in the high-end segment like the iPad Pro contributed to the hike."
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