The tablet wars – Apple outruns competition

Overall shipments for tablets and 2-in-1 devices fell to 47.1 million in 1Q15, a -5.9% decline from the same quarter a year ago, according to IDC. "The market slowdown that we witnessed last quarter is continuing to impact the tablet segment, but we see some growth areas that are starting to materialize," said Jean Philippe Bouchard, Research Director, Tablets. Apple still leads the overall market despite five consecutive quarters of negative annual shipment growth. Apple shipped 12.6 million iPads in the first quarter, capturing 26.8% of the market in volume and declining -22.9% when compared to 1Q14. Samsung (19.1% share) maintained its second place in the market despite a -16.5% decline in shipments compared to the same period last year. Lenovo (5.3% share), Asus (3.8 %) and LG (3.1%) rounded out the top 5 positions. LG's year-over-year growth was notable as it continues to benefit from US carriers' strategy to bundle connected tablets with existing customers. As a result of the recent market contraction, IDC believes tablet OEM's should continue to focus on potential growth areas like cellular-enabled tablets and 2-in-1 devices. The commercial segment remains an area to watch for both tablets and 2-in-1's. However, as of now, commercial uptake has been relatively slow as IT buyers continue to evaluate their mobile strategies. First Quarter 2015 (Preliminary Results, Shipments in millions)

Vendor	1Q15 Unit Shipments	1Q15 Market Share	1Q14 Unit Shipments	1Q14 Market Share
Apple	12.6	26.8%	16.4	32.7%
Samsung	9.0	19.1%	10.8	21.6%
Lenovo	2.5	5.3%	2.0	4.1%
ASUS	1.8	3.8%	2.6	5.2%
LG Electronics	1.4	3.1%	0.1	0.2%
Others	19.7	41.8%	18.1	36.3%
Total	47.1	100.0%	50.0	100.0%