Last week, we pointed to tablet estimates for the second quarter of 2012 from research firm Strategy Analytics, results that shows Apple continuing to dominate the tablet market with 68% of shipments during the quarter. Google's Android platform accounted for most of the remaining shipments, taking 29% of the market.
Worldwide Tablet Shipments in 2Q12 in Millions of Units (Source: IDC)
IDC has now released its own estimates of tablet shipments for the quarter, and while the overall picture is very similar to Strategy Analytics' numbers with estimates of 25 million tablets shipped and a 68% share for Apple's iPad, IDC offers an interesting look at the competition by breaking things down by manufacturer instead of by platform. According to IDC, Samsung remains the number two tablet manufacturer behind Apple, but despite strong 117.6% year-over-year shipment growth still saw its tablets outsold by the iPad by a margin of 7-to-1.
"Apple built upon its strong March iPad launch and ended the quarter with its best-ever shipment total for the iPad, outrunning even the impressive shipment record it set in the fourth quarter of last year," said Tom Mainelli, research director, Mobile Connected Devices. "The vast majority of consumers continue to favor 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."
Growth in tablets is clearly occurring at the top of the market, with Apple, Samsung, and ASUS experiencing strong year-over-year growth and Amazon having a strong entry into the market with its Kindle Fire. Smaller players are seeing their shares of the market shrink, with Acer's shipments dropping nearly 40% and the collective "other" smaller manufacturers seeing their sales slide by 16%.
Apple's 17 million iPad shipments were a new record for the company as it rides the momentum of the new third-generation iPad and its lowest entry-level pricing ever with the Wi-Fi iPad 2 continuing to be available at a lower price of just $399. With competitors launching smaller tablets that have enabled them to push tablet pricing down toward $199, Apple is reportedly looking to launch its own "iPad mini" later this year with an eye toward capturing that portion of the market as well.
