Introduction of “an array of new form factors” that appeal to a much broader base of consumers and “more agile players developing low-cost models” will drive the market share for the two dominant tablet market players – Apple and Samsung – down to a combined 38 percent by 2019, according to a new report from Juniper Research.
Juniper analysts single out Lenovo as being chief among the tablet market competitors taking a larger bite out of Apple and Samsung’s market shares over the course of the decade. Lenovo will ship an additional 30 million tablets per year by 2019, “fueled by sales of its Yoga range worldwide, as well as a varied line-up of devices in its home market,” according to Juniper’s “Tablets, Phablets & Hybrids: One Screen to Rule Them All” whitepaper.
Tablet Market Share Forecast
While Juniper believes that the rapidly growing popularity of large-screen smartphones – a.k.a. phablets – will eat into consumer demand for tablets, Juniper researchers also believe that “the variety and capability of tablets will expand, catering [to] the needs of specific target markets.” That said, the onus is on tablet vendors to develop “a range of devices to suit multiple segments with slightly different needs rather than launching catch-all devices,” the Hampshire, U.K.-based market research company states in a news release.
Newer tablet market segments, such as education and point-of-sale (POS), Juniper report author James Moar continued, “do not have the phone-like replacement rates vendors initially expected, which has affected sales volume.”
Other key report findings include:
- Android will remain the dominant platform for tablets, although we expect Windows-based devices to represent just under 10% of the market by 2019;
- Hybrid devices will find a place in office-based environments, while tablets will struggle here due to peripheral compatibility requirements.
