Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac
iPad shipments declined 8.5% year-over-year in the first quarter of the 2024, according to a market research firm. The drop can be partially chalked up to the complete lack of new models for the last 18 months.
But it demonstrates Apple’s dominance of the global tablet market that it’s still on top despite a hefty decline during winter quarter.
iPad shipments are in a slump
There were no new iPads released in 2023. The last time an Apple slate of any type came on the market was fall 2022. Without the usual surge of sales that accompanies a new model, iPad shipments were in the doldrums all of last year. The trend continued in the first three months of 2024.
Apple shipped 9.9 million tablets in the January-through-March period, according to new research from IDC. “Apple faced a bit of a lull last year due to the poor economy and the absence of new models and declined 8.5% year over year,” the analysts noted in their report.
Still, shipments were enough to give Apple 32% of the global market. Its share of the market in Q1 2024 was 35.2%. In second place was Samsung with 21.7% of the world market. No other rival has a double-digit share.
Estimates from IDC and other analysts are necessary because Apple does not report how many tablets it ships. It does, however, report quarterly revenue from this class of computer. Cupertino took in $5.6 billion from slates, a 17% annual decline.
But new iPads are on the way
There’s hope for a turnaround in the near future. “The company has focused on clearing out inventory of older models prior to the expected launch of new models in 2Q24,” said IDC.
Apple scheduled a product-launch event for May 7, and telegraphed that tablets and their accessories on the agenda. What’s expected is the first iPad Pro with an OLED display, as well as the first 12.9-inch iPad Air.
If the leaks prove to be correct, Apple’s June-quarter iPad shipment numbers should take a considerable jump up.