Apple Increases Tablet Market Share to 34 percent in Q4 2013, as Global Tablet Market Grows 33 percent in 2013

Boston, MA – February 4, 2014 – According to the latest research from Strategy Analytics, fourth quarter 2013 global Tablet shipments reached 76.8 million units. Android again exerted its dominance with a 62 percent market share, while iOS rebounded from two quarters of share loss to take 34 percent of the total market in the fourth quarter.

Peter King, Director of Tablets at Strategy Analytics, said “Global Total Tablet shipments reached 76.8 million units in Q4 2013, up 20 percent from 64 million units in Q4 2012.”

New products from Apple late in the year contributed to the company growing market share in the fourth quarter by almost 7 percent (relative to Q3 2013), therefore reversing a trend of two successive quarters of share loss. Samsung ended the year strongly where its fourth quarter shipments were almost double the volume it shipped in one year previously in Q4 2012.

Exhibit 1: Global Total Tablet Vendor Market Share in Q4 2013 (Preliminary)

On the annual basis, Global Tablet shipments for 2013 reached 227 million units, up 33 percent from 2012. Apple finished 2013 as the number one Tablet vendor with 33 percent of the total Tablet market. However archrival Samsung closed the gap by nearly doubling its share from 10 percent in 2012, to 18 percent in 2013.

Matt Wilkins, Director of Tablets and Wearables at Strategy Analytics, said “2013 was another extremely healthy year for the Tablet market. While it may not be a three-figure growth rate like we have witnessed previously, it is still significant considering the market is now delivering in excess of 200 million units on an annual global basis.”

1. A white-box tablet is a product produced by one company (the manufacturer or ODM) that other companies (the vendors or OEMs) rebrand to make it appear as if they made it. White box tablets invariably use different components to a branded tablet in order to keep costs to a minimum.
2. Shipments refer to sell-in. Numbers are rounded. The definition of a Tablet does not include e-book readers or convertible PCs.