WASHINGTON: Lenovo’s tablet shipments fell 13.5 percent during the crucial holiday season, which nonetheless was slightly better than the overall market, according to market research firm IDC.
IDC reported that tablet shipments worldwide dropped 13.7 percent in the fourth quarter compared to a year ago. Consequently, Lenovo maintained the 4.8 percent market share it posted a year ago even as the number of tablets its shipped fell from 3.7 million to 3.2 million.
But the company, which ranked third among tablet makers in the third quarter, slipped to fourth in the fourth quarter as Amazon vaulted ahead with a 175.7 percent jump in shipments thanks to the popularity of its $50 Kindle Fire tablet. That inexpensive tablet “was the holiday season’s surprise hit,” IDC reported.
IDC expects Lenovo to gain market share in 2016 based on the “savoir faire” of its Yoga, MiiX and Thinkpad brands. Lenovo, which ranks first in PCs and fourth in smartphones, is based in China but has a headquarters in Morrisville.
Apple ranked No. 1 with a 24.5 percent share of the tablet market in the fourth quarter, but its shipments declined by 24.8 percent. Samsung ranked second with a 13.7 percent market share despite an 18.1 percent decline in shipments.
For the full year 2015, Lenovo ranked third behind Apple and Samsung with a 5.4 percent market share after shipping four-tenths of a percent more tablets – roughly 11.2 million units. The overall tablet market declined 10.1 percent for the year.
