With new tablet offerings from Microsoft, Samsung, Amazon and even Apple expected before year-end, the tablet market is going from strength to strength.
According to data from ABI Research, the April to June quarter of 2012 has set a new record of media tablet shipments. An estimated 25 million units were shipped - indicating 77% year-on-year growth.
The market is still dominated by Apple's iPad, which accounted for 69% of worldwide volumes in the second quarter. This was also a record quarter for the iPad itself, with 17 million units shipped.
Jeff Orr, ABI Research senior practice director for mobile devices, says: “Most impressive about Apple's 17 million tablet shipments in 2Q 2012 was it nearly matched 2010 total worldwide shipments of 17.3 million for all vendors.”
It is also noted that about one million iPad 2 devices were shipped to US education customers in the second quarter - bolstering shipment growth. “The tablet market is on track for 102 million to 110 million shipments worldwide for full-year 2012,” says Orr.
Patent problems
Two months ago, US district judge Lucy Koh issued a pre-trial order barring Samsung from selling the Galaxy Tab 10.1 in the US. The jury in the landmark patent case has, however, since absolved the Galaxy Tab 10.1 from allegations that it violated Apple's design patents. Samsung reportedly requested on Sunday that Koh lift the injunction as a result.
The jury did, however, find that Samsung's Galaxy Tab 10.1 violated some of Apple's software patents, which could complicate the overturning of the judge's order.
Following the announcement of the jury's verdict in the patent case, Samsung issued a statement saying it should not be viewed as a win for Apple, but as a “loss for the American consumer”.
“It will lead to fewer choices, less innovation, and potentially higher prices. It is unfortunate that patent law can be manipulated to give one company a monopoly over rectangles with rounded corners, or technology that is being improved every day by Samsung and other companies.”
iPad dominance
Research director of mobile connected devices at IDC, Tom Mainelli, said of the second quarter tablet sales figures: “The vast majority of consumers continue to favour the iPad over competitors, and Apple is seeing increasingly strong interest in the device from vertical markets - especially education.
“While iPad shipment totals are beginning to slow a bit in mature markets where the device saw early traction, growth in other regions is clearly more than making up the difference."
In SA, the iPad accounts for about 50% of the tablet market, according to World Wide Worx MD Arthur Goldstuck. Android follows at about 40% ‑ with Samsung accounting for the majority of Android tablets with its Galaxy Tab.
“Samsung is seeing far greater traction in the local market than it has seen globally, because it doesn't face the same legal issues here as it does in other markets where Apple has tried to stop the sale of Galaxy Tabs,” says Goldstuck.
“Samsung is also a very visible brand in SA and it has had a strong presence for a long time, which it has been able to leverage to gain traction in the local tablet market.”
The arrival of the first Windows 8 and Windows RT tablets, from both Microsoft and its hardware partners, in October, is also expected to shake up the market and pose significant competition to Android offerings.
Bob O'Donnell, IDC programme VP of client and displays, says: “Consumers baffled by the differences between Amazon and Google versions of Android, or Windows 8 and Windows RT, may well default to market leader Apple. Or they may simply choose to remain on the side-line for another cycle."
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