‘IT channel is evolving as tablets continue to decline’

The worldwide tablet market has declined by seven per cent year-on-year during Q2 2015, with shipments totalling 44.7 million units.

According to analyst IDC, the market has declined by 3.9 per cent from the first quarter of 2015 due to little hardware innovation and limited vendor portfolio updates.

Jean Philippe Bouchard, research director for tablets at IDC, said: “In the first quarter of the year, Apple and Samsung accounted for 45 per cent of the market and this quarter, with the growth of vendors like LG, Huawei, and E FUN, their combined share dropped to 41 per cent.

"Each of the growing vendors managed to address available pockets of growth in the market; connected tablets for LG and Huawei, larger tablets and two-in-ones in the right price bands for E FUN."

As the vendor landscape evolves, IDC believes tablets will continues to decline, however Apple maintained its number one position in the tablet market, shipping 10.9 million units in Q2 2015.

Samsung held the number two position with 7.6 million units shipped, while Lenovo shipped 2.5 million units securing 5.7 per cent of the market.

Jitesh Ubrani, senior research analyst for worldwide mobile device trackers at IDC, added: “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.

"But with newer form factors like two-in-ones, and added productivity-enabling features like those highlighted in iOS9, vendors should be able to bring new vitality to a market that has lost its momentum."

This news comes after IDC revealed worldwide tablets and two-in-one devices fell to 47.1 million, a 5.9 per cent decline from the same quarter a year ago, during Q1 2015.