Global tablet shipments on the rise

Driven by demand for affordable access to basic computing and larger screens to facilitate remote work and learning, the worldwide tablet market grew 24.9 per cent year-over-year to reach 47.6 million units in the third quarter of 2020, according to the International Data Corporation (IDC).

Apple shipped 13.9 million units in Q3 to lead the tablet market once again with 29.2 per cent share while Samsung regained the second position with shipments of 9.4 million units and year-over-year growth of 89.2 per cent. As demand for more mobile, portable computing solutions has increased, Samsung has focused on its Android detachable portfolio, which recorded solid growth in the quarter. Samsung also launched the Galaxy Tab S7+ in the third quarter - the first 5G tablet to be available worldwide - making it one of the first tablet vendors to adopt 5G.

"Consumer spending on technology has also been on the rise while other categories, such as dining, entertainment, and travel, have declined during the pandemic," said the IDC report. Apple recorded year-over-year growth of 17.4 per cent. While the iPad (2019) was able to maintain the largest share of shipments, the latest iPad (2020) managed to record a notable volume of shipments despite its late launch during the quarter.

Amazon.com slipped to the third position in Q3 with shipments totaling 5.4 million units. At fourth position, Huawei shipped 4.9 million units for year-over-year growth of 32.9 per cent, enabling the company to gain share in the market.

"Despite the sanctions from the US government, Huawei managed to grow across multiple geographies, including outside China," the IDC report said.

Lenovo finished the quarter in the fifth position recording year-over-year growth of 62.4 per cent and shipping 4.1 million units.