The analyst company Canalys reported that tablet shipments increased by 1% during the first quarter compared to the same period last year. Shipments reached 33.7 million units after four consecutive quarters of year-over-year declines.

Commenting on the news, Canalys Research Director Himani Mukka said:

“The tablet industry had a positive start to 2024, and the rest of the year should bring further relief after a difficult 2023. Despite the extended period of cautious consumer spending on tablets, vendors remained ambitious. New market entrants continued to invest in the category while traditional heavyweights provided innovation to excite customers and drive business new usage”.

Since tablets became popular in their current form with the launch of the iPad, they have barely changed. However, according to Canalys, we’ll see more foldable designs and tablets that support eyes-free viewing of 3D content, which could help make these devices more popular with consumers.

As for the players in the market, Apple held on to its top spot with 35.6% market share, but it actually dropped 13.9% year-over-year. The next companies were Samsung (20.2%), Huawei (8.1%), Lenovo (6.3%) and Amazon (6.1%). Interestingly, Huawei achieved the best performance with an annual growth of 70.2%, despite all the pressure it is under under Western governments. The company that suffered the most is Amazon, which recorded a decrease of 18.2%.

Apple’s tablet shipment hit seems to match what’s happening with its smartphones. Neowin reported just a week or so ago that Apple phone shipments were down 16% during the first quarter. It should be noted that Apple’s shipments have held up relatively well in recent years while others have struggled.

Since the launch of the first iPad, tablets have found themselves sandwiched between smartphones and computers. Without a keyboard, you’re not going to be very productive with a tablet while still having your phone for leisure, so for many people it’s a struggle to see where tablets fit into their lives.

source: Canalys