Analyst firm IDC has revealed the tablet market share of Apple, Samsung, Amazon, Huawei and Lenovo during the third quarter of 2017.
Tablet market fell 5.4 percent year on year to 40 million tablets.
The reasons for the drop in tablet market include growing demand for smartphones combined with the lengthening replacement cycle of tablets and strengthening position of traditional PCs.
Negative growth in Q3 2017 marked the twelfth consecutive quarter of annual decline.
Apple has cemented the first-place position thanks to the lower-priced iPad. The latest version of iOS has helped make iPads a more serious PC competitor.
IDC said the need for legacy apps especially in the commercial segment and strong value offerings from other PC and mobile vendors has prevented iPads from becoming the primary computing device for the masses.
Samsung still relies heavily on the lower cost Tab A and E series though high-priced, halo devices have led to Samsung’s premium image. This may create long-term issues as rival tablet vendors often offer products at a better value.
Amazon’s aggressive hardware strategy in the tablet market has assisted the company to grow 38.7 percent on an annual basis. Amazon offered the 7-inch tablet for under $30 during the Prime Day Sale showing how the e-commerce company is relying low cost models.
Huawei is the fourth largest tablet maker. Lenovo is the fifth largest table company.
Both companies have maintained a similar strategy of focusing on low-cost devices in Asia Pacific and Western Europe.
Huawei has managed to maintain some differentiation by concentrating on cellular-enabled tablets. Lenovo recently launched the Tab 4 lineup, which offers competitive specs and features at a great value.
