Global tablet pricing trends and sales trends moved in opposite directions in 2Q 2016, according to Strategy Analytics. Tablet shipments dropped 8 percent year-over-year (YoY) to total 46.7 million units in 2Q while average selling prices (ASPs) rose 9 percent, according the latest market data from Strategy Analytics.
Both consumers and enterprise-scale businesses are buying more high-end tablets, such as the iPad Pro and Surface Pro 4, Strategy Analytics’ Eric Smith highlights in a company blog post. Prices for premium tablets are coming down as end-user needs and usage shifts more towards mobility and touchscreen interfaces, according to the market research provider’s ¨Preliminary Global Tablet Shipments and Market Share Q2 2016¨ report.
Tablet Pricing Trends
2Q’s tally marked the tenth consecutive YoY quarterly decline in global iPad shipments, which garnered a 21.3% market share, down 9% YoY, according to Strategy Analytics. Android tablets’ share of 2Q global shipments came in at 64 percent, clear evidence that consumers continue to see value in low-cost traditional slate tablets used primarily for entertainment purposes, the market research provider says.
Downward pressure is being exerted on 2-in-1 tablet ASPs in the midst of their rise, Strategy Analytics notes in a press release about tablet pricing trends. Consumers and enterprises are increasingly considering buying 2-in-1 tablets rather than replacing their desktop and portable computers or buying a new slate tablet, but they’re looking for lower prices without sacrificing processing power and mobile connectivity.
Other key takeaways included in Strategy Analytics latest quarterly global tablet pricing trends and shipment trends report:
- Apple iOS shipments (sell-in) came in at 10.0 million iPads in Q2 2016 leaving it with a worldwide market share of 21% of the tablet market. The 10 million shipments in Q2 2016 declined 9% annually and 3% sequentially. Q2 2016 represented the first full quarter of iPad Pro 9.7 sales, which helped drive ASPs to $490 and contributed to the best quarter Apple has had in 2 years.
- Android branded vendors shipped 30.1 million units among them worldwide in Q2 2016, down 15% from 35.2 million a year earlier and flat sequentially. Market share has fallen to 64% as high growth of Windows tablet shipments squeeze Android tablets. There is a reordering underway among Android vendors in the middle tier so even though shipments by large vendors like Samsung have fallen, smaller vendors like Huawei, Amazon, and TCL-Alcatel continue to expand their reach.
- Windows shipments grew 43% year-on-year at 6.7 million units in Q2 2016, from 4.6 million in Q2 2015, reaching 14% market share. Shipments climbed 5% sequentially. Windows share continues to improve as more models are launched by traditional PC vendors and mobile-first vendors alike, Microsoft expands its Surface distribution and lineup, and White Box vendors sell more Windows Tablets.
