2011 was a year of solid growth for the tablet market. Shipments rose by a little more than 56% to amount to a total of 28.2 million units sold worldwide. These figures pertain to the fourth quarter of 2011. These numbers were released by combining data released by the IDC, eReader Tracker and the worldwide quarterly tablet market. Comparing the figures with that of Q42010, the increase clocks in at a whopping 155%. The year on year count was estimated at a total of 68.7 million units. Given the current trends in demand, IDC corrected its previous estimate for the next year from 87.7 million units to a total of 106.1 million for the next year.
Apple continued its domination in the tablet market, shipping a total of 15.4 million units across the world, an increase from its previous quarter, which was estimated at 11.1 million. Amazon established its mark in the tablet market, shipping more than 4.7 million Kindle Fire tablets in the market last quarter. Although Apple shipped more units in Q42011, its share in the tablet market dropped from 61.5% to 54.7% in the fourth quarter. Amazon followed with a share of 16.8%, securing a distant second place. Samsung, Barnes & Noble and Pandigital occupied the third, fourth and fifth spots respectively. Samsung increased its share marginally, whereas the remaining lost out despite showing an increase in sales numbers.
Amazon’s Kindle Fire was partly responsible for creating awareness about the tablet market, which eventually resulted in the large numbers mentioned earlier. Almost all tablet makers reported an increase in sales after the release of the Kindle Fire. Whether it was the $500 iPad or Pandigital’s array of Android tablets, all reported a notable increase in sales numbers.
Android tablets in particular gained the most in 2011, with a market share that was reported at 44.6% at the conclusion of fourth quarter last year. iOS dropped to a market share of 54.6%, the discontinued WebOS from HP dropped to zero from its 5% share in the third quarter. The increase in the number of sales wasn’t restricted to the tablet sector alone. E-readers also reported an increase in sales. This was the result of sharp price cuts in US and Canada and also the reported increase in the number of shipments exported out of the US. This sector was rejuvenated thanks to the Kindle Fire, but it’s all set to reach another level after the release of the iPad 3.
