Strategy Analytics: Handful of Tablet Vendors Consolidate Leadership Positions in Q1 2019 as Market Falls 5%

BOSTON–(BUSINESS WIRE)–The latest research from Strategy Analytics showed that fierce price
competition has put incredible pressure on many Android tablet vendors,
but a few companies stood above the rest in Q1 2019. Apple, Huawei,
Amazon, and Microsoft have each found ways to press their advantage and
gain market share as the rest of the market struggles to find momentum. The
global tablet market declined 5% year-on-year in Q1 2019. The
question remains, can more vendors break through to growth or will they
continue to cede ground to the market leaders?

The full report from Strategy Analytics’ Connected Computing Devices
(CCD) service, Preliminary Global Tablet Shipments and Market Share:
Q1 2019 Results, can be found here: https://www.strategyanalytics.com/access-services/devices/tablets-and-pcs/connected-computing-devices/market-data/report-detail/preliminary-global-tablet-shipments-and-market-share-q1-2019-results-070519

Eric Smith, Director – Connected Computing, said, “Amazon had an
excellent post-holiday quarter on the back of several promotional
discounts, pushing shipments 21% higher than a year ago. Huawei is still
eating the lunch of its Android competitors, particularly in EMEA and
China, growing 8% globally year-on-year. There are signs of
stabilization among some vendors, including Samsung, HP, Dell, and even
TCL-Alcatel. Certainly, the picture is rosier for many companies still
in the tablet business when you look at revenues, which explains why
competition is so heated.”

Chirag Upadhyay, Senior Research Analyst, added, “Most Windows
Detachable 2-in-1 vendors are targeting the premium tier for enterprise
users to make higher profits but a crowded market prevents all vendors
from growing at once, especially now that Apple is competing strongly
with three iPad Pro models in this price tier. As a result of taking
focus off of the larger consumer market, Windows market share actually
fell by 1 percentage point year-on-year to 14%. Windows shipments fell
13% year-on-year to 5.0 million units in Q1 2019 from 5.7 million in Q1
2018. Shipments declined 29% from the previous quarter on low
seasonality. Microsoft fully owns the leadership position in Windows
Detachable 2-in-1s with the release of the lower cost Surface Go and a
refreshed Surface Pro 6 all in the last half of 2018. This is the fifth
straight quarter of year-on-year shipment and revenue gains for
Microsoft.”

Eric Smith continued, “Apple iOS shipments (sell-in) grew 9%
year-on-year to 9.9 million units in Q1 2019, pushing its worldwide
market share to 27% of the Tablet market. Apple added 3 percentage
points to its market share year-over-year. The new iPad Pro portfolio
had momentum this quarter, boosting ASPs to $490 this quarter from $451
in Q1 2018. Refreshing iPad Pro and MacBook Air at the same time plays
into Apple’s strategy to target different user bases with different
computing solutions. Education still represents a good opportunity for
Apple as schools often have PCs and tablets available for different use
cases.”

About Strategy Analytics
Strategy
Analytics, Inc. provides the competitive edge with advisory services,
consulting and actionable market intelligence for emerging technology,
mobile and wireless, digital consumer and automotive electronics
companies. With offices in North America, Europe and Asia, Strategy
Analytics delivers insights for enterprise success. www.StrategyAnalytics.com

Contacts

US Contact: Eric Smith, +1 617 614 0752, esmith@strategyanalytics.com
UK
Contact: Chirag Upadhyay, +44 1908 423 643, cupadhyay@strategyanalytics.com