Apple keeps its grip on the tablet market despite shipment slowdown – CNET

Apple keeps its grip on the tablet market despite shipment slowdown – CNET

iPad Mini and 9th Gen iPad

Apple remained the most-shipped tablet maker in 2021.

Scott Stein/CNET

Worldwide tablet shipments rose to 168.8 million last year, up about 5 million from 2020 shipments, according to market researcher IDC, with Apple devices making up 57.8 million of those shipments. Annual shipments hit the highest level in five years, despite a significant slowdown in the fourth quarter, where shipments fell 12% to 46 million units. IDC said it was the second time quarterly shipments dropped since the start of the pandemic.

Despite that slowdown, Apple maintained a one-third marketshare, almost double the next-closest competitor (Samsung, at 18.3%). 

The slowing shipment numbers reflect decreased demand as people have had two years to stock up on tech during the pandemic. As Anuroopa Nataraj, senior research analyst with IDC, explained, “Though 2021 was a great year for the tablet market, shipments have begun to decelerate as the market has moved past peak demand across many geographies.”

Shipments for Chromebooks took a much larger hit in the fourth quarter, dropping from 13.1 million to 4.8 million — a decreases of 64%. However, Chromebook shipments for the full year rose 14% to 37 million. Jitesh Ubrani, an IDC research manager said, “Much of the initial demand for Chromebooks has been satiated in primary markets like the U.S. and Europe and this has led to a slowdown in overall shipments. However, Chromebook demand in emerging markets has seen continued growth in the past year.”

Leave a Reply