Global tablet market grows 11% to 49.3 million units in the second quarter of 2014

The global tablet market rose 11% to 49.3 million units shipped in the second quarter, according to research firm IDC. Despite the year-over-year gain, on a sequential basis the tablet market declined 1.5% from the opening three months of the year. IDC's research director for tablets, Jean Philippe Bouchard, cited a couple of oft-heard reasons for the quarter-to-quarter slowdown. One was the increasingly large size of smartphone screens, while the other was the longer period of time consumers are keeping older tablet models before upgrading them.

Apple continued to lead the way, with 13.3 million iPads shipped in Q2. That figure represented a decline from Apple's first quarter shipment numbers. Also having a tough Q2 was Samsung. The latter struggled to finish behind Apple, with a declining market share of 17.2%. Lenovo leaped over Asus for third place, with 2.4 million slates shipped and a 4.9% slice of the world-wide tablet market. Asus finished fourth with a 4.6% share of the market, followed by the 2% ownership of the tablet market claimed by Acer.

IDC pointed out that many traditional computer and phone manufacturers have turned to producing tablets. The research firm also noted that those companies that offered bundled deals and other promotions, slowly picked up momentum in the tablet market.

source: IDC via DigiTimes