Apple Inc. (NASDAQ: AAPL) had a record-setting quarter to help the global tablet market surpassing expectations in the second quarter, according to research firm IDC Corp.‘s Worldwide Quarterly Media Tablet Tracker.
IDC estimates that total worldwide tablet shipments for the second quarter of 2012 at 25 million units; up from 18.7 million in the first quarter of 2012. That represents a quarter-over-quarter increase of 33.6 per cent and a robust year-over-year growth rate of 66.2 per cent, up from 15 million units in the second quarter of 2011.
“Apple built upon its strong March iPad launch and ended the quarter with its best-ever shipment total for the iPad, outrunning even the impressive shipment record it set in the fourth quarter of last year,” said Tom Mainelli, research director, mobile connected devices with IDC, in a statement. “The vast majority of consumers continue to favor the iPad over competitors, and Apple is seeing increasingly strong interest in the device from vertical markets-especially education. While iPad shipment totals are beginning to slow a bit in mature markets where the device saw early traction, growth in other regions is clearly more than making up the difference.”
According to IDC, Apple shipped 17 million iPads during the quarter, up from 11.8 million units in the previous quarter and surpassing its previous record of 15.4 million in the fourth quarter of 2011. Samsung landed second with 2.4 million units shipped, up from 1.1 million units one year ago. Amazon was third with 1.2 million units shipped, followed by ASYS at 855,458, both up year-over-year. In fifth spot, Acer shipped 385,458 units, down sharply from 629,222 units a year ago.
IDC noted shipments of the well-received Google/ASUS co-branded Nexus 7 aren’t reflected in these totals, as that product officially began shipping into the channel in the third quarter of 2012. The research firm expects competition in the tablet space to continue to heat up in the second half of 2012.
“In addition to major new products from Amazon and quite likely Apple, we can also expect an influx of Microsoft Windows 8 and Windows RT-based tablets starting in late October,” said Bob O’Donnell, program vice president, Clients and Displays. “If anything, there’s a real risk that people will have too many options from which to choose this holiday season. Consumers baffled by the differences between Amazon and Google versions of Android, or Windows 8 and Windows RT, may well default to market leader Apple. Or they may simply choose to remain on the sideline for another cycle.”