Published on the 30/07/2015 | Written by Donovan Jackson

Turns out there isn’t a tablet for the hangover which comes after the PC party…

Not only have computer sales declined dramatically, but tablet sales too are in the doldrums, with IDC recording a decline of -7.0 percent year over year in the second quarter of 2015 (2Q15). The researcher says the decline is because tablets are so darned well-made and upgradeable, to boot. Phablets, too, are eating away at the necessity for a dedicated slab.

Tablet shipments in this period totalled 44.7 million units according to preliminary data from the researcher’s Worldwide Quarterly Tablet Tracker. Marked by little hardware innovation and limited vendor portfolio updates, the market also declined -3.9 percent compared to the first quarter of 2015.

“Longer life cycles, increased competition from other categories such as larger smartphones, combined with the fact that end users can install the latest operating systems on their older tablets has stifled the initial enthusiasm for these devices in the consumer market,” said Jitesh Ubrani, IDC senior research analyst. “But with newer form factors like 2-in-1s, and added productivity-enabling features like those highlighted in iOS9, vendors should be able to bring new vitality to a market that has lost its momentum.”

The top dogs are also seeing waning fortunes, at least inasmuch as market dominance is concerned. “Beyond the decline, we’re seeing a profound shift in the vendor landscape as the top two vendors, Apple and Samsung, lose share in the overall market,” said Jean Philippe Bouchard, IDC research director. “In the first quarter, Apple and Samsung accounted for 45 percent of the market and this quarter, with the growth of vendors like LG, Huawei, and E FUN, their combined share dropped to 41 percent. Each of the growing vendors managed to address available pockets of growth in the market; connected tablets for LG and Huawei, larger tablets and 2-in-1s in the right price bands for E FUN.

“This trend is also something we see on a wider scale with the top 5 vendors accounting for 54 percent of the market, down from 58percent last quarter. It is worth mentioning that Huawei enters the top 5 ranking for the first time, while E FUN has re-entered the top 10 after more than a year, further indicating that the vendor landscape is indeed evolving.”

Despite a continued decline in shipments for its iPad product line, Apple maintained its lead in the worldwide tablet market, shipping 10.9 million units in the second quarter. Samsung held its number 2 position in the market with 7.6 million units shipped and 17.0 percent market share in 2Q15.

Lenovo maintained its third position with 2.5 million units and 5.7 percent share of the market. LG and Huawei ended the quarter in a statistical tie for fourth place, rounding out the top 5 with each shipping 1.6 million devices. As previously mentioned, share outside the top 5 continued to outgrow the market, representing 46 percent of total tablet shipments in 2Q15.

Top Five Worldwide Tablet Vendors – Preliminary Results for the Second Quarter of 2015 (Shipments in millions)

Vendor	2Q15 Unit Shipments	2Q15 Market Share	2Q14 Unit Shipments	2Q14 Market Share	Year-Over-Year Growth
1. Apple	10.9	24.5%	13.3	27.7%	-17.9%
2. Samsung	7.6	17.0%	8.6	18.0%	-12.0%
3. Lenovo	2.5	5.7%	2.4	4.9%	6.8%
4. Huawei	1.6	3.7%	0.8	1.7%	103.6%
4. LG Electronics	1.6	3.6%	0.5	1.0%	246.4%
Others	20.4	45.6%	22.4	46.7%	-9.3%
Total	44.7	100.0%	48.0	100.0%	-7.0%