Smaller players are finding room to grow in the contracting tablet market.
Global sales of tablets fell by 7% year-on-year to 44.7 million units in the second quarter of 2015, according to data from International Data Corporation (IDC). The market for tablets fell 3.9% compared to the first quarter of this year.
Rivals Apple and Samsung still dominate the tablet market, controlling 41% of the market, which represents a 4 percentage point drop from the same time last year. Less heralded players Lenovo, LG, and Huawei have been grabbing that share.
“Beyond the decline, we’re seeing a profound shift in the vendor landscape as the top two vendors, Apple and Samsung, lose share in the overall market,” Jean Philippe Bouchard, IDC research director, said in a statement.
Apple is still by far the leader in global sales for tablets, shipping a little under 11 million iPads in the second quarter. But over the past few years, the device has seen a significant drop in sales since 2013.
LG and Huawei have been able to increase their market share by tapping into some growth areas, such as connected tablets, larger tablets and 2-in-1 products, analysts say.
“Longer life cycles, increased competition from other categories such as larger smartphones, combined with the fact that end users can install the latest operating systems on their older tablets has stifled the initial enthusiasm for these devices in the consumer market,” said Jitesh Ubrani, senior research analyst with Worldwide Mobile Device Trackers.