[Darlaten]

Here's the latest - published June 4th - concerning Q1, 2012 sales figures for Tablets (note - the text is not mine; I just copy and pasted it for those of you who can't access it via the weblink).

​The media tablet market shipped 18.2 million devices in 1Q’2012, which represents a 185% YoY gain and a -33% sequential loss in shipments. Apple’s 11.8 million iPad shipments were spurred by the launch of a third-generation lineup and price reduction on iPad 2 models, while Samsung’s 1.1 million shipments returned the vendor to the number two spot after Amazon’s Kindle Fire shipments fizzled entering 2012.

“A pattern similar to smartphones is also occurring in tablets,” says Jeff Orr, group director, consumer research. “Apple and Samsung have demonstrated staying power while other tablet vendors ebb and flow like the tide.” Only two leading branded tablet OEMs – RIM (233%) and Lenovo (107%) – bucked the downward first quarter shipment trends, while Taiwan’s ASUS remained flat sequentially from 4Q’2011. Several vendors, including Dell, HP, and LG are currently retooling tablet portfolios for mid-year launches of Android 4.0 along with the much anticipated Windows 8 slates debuting later in 2012.

Apple continued to lead the market with nearly 65% of worldwide units and surpassed 67 million cumulative shipments in its first eight quarters of availability. iPad can’t claim the highest mobile broadband (3G/4G) attach rate for media tablets, though Apple retains its title of shipping the most 3G-enabled tablets by outpacing the number two competitor by a factor of eight. “The majority of iPad buyers continue to be satisfied with Wi-Fi wireless coverage,” adds Orr. The leading model shipments and the ongoing challenges mobile operators face in convincing iPad owners to even try the mobile broadband connectivity once are expected to continue for the foreseeable future.

ABI Research’s “Media Tablet Market Share Tracker” provides quarterly and annual historical vendor market share, mobile broadband embedded modem module attach rate by vendor, and Apple iPad model configuration trends.

It is part of ABI Research’s Tablets, Netbooks & Mobile CE Research Service.

ABI Research provides in-depth analysis and quantitative forecasting of trends in global connectivity and other emerging technologies. From offices in North America, Europe and Asia, ABI Research’s worldwide team of experts advises thousands of decision makers through 40+ research and advisory services. Est. 1990. For more information visit ABI Research - Technology Market Research in Wireless Cellular Automotive RFID Security IP Telephony Semiconductor Energy, or call +1.516.624.2500.

Source: ​iPad Remains Dominant in 1Q

[howarmat]

if RIM did 233% over Q4 that means RIM shipped a little over 1.1 millin PB last quarter which is more than all last year pretty much. Someone carried a zero incorrectly somewhere i think or their metrics are not consistent.

[jefftam68]

Interesting that the uptake of 3G/4G tablets isn't very strong. The carriers are pushing them hard (at the expense of Playbook sales), but obviously the consumer is hesitant to fork over more money for yet another data plan.

Go Bridge!

[Darlaten]

if RIM did 233% over Q4 that means RIM shipped a little over 1.1 millin PB last quarter which is more than all last year pretty much. Someone carried a zero incorrectly somewhere i think or their metrics are not consistent.

I'm glad you noticed that; I read through the article a couple of times and the numbers don't make sense. If it is a different type of metric, I wish they would make that clear as it's confusing as currently written.

[stackberry369]

The ifad is just a 10inch ifod touch.

[sinsin07]

The ifad is just a 10inch ifod touch.

The fad is going into its third year. How long does a fad last.

[the_sleuth]

The only tablet I have seen out in the wild (airports, cafes, transit) are iPads predominantly and few PlayBooks here and there. The PB owners always smile at each other like we're members of an exclusive club.

[Eumaeus]

The ifad is just a 10inch ifod touch.

You're right! And that 10-inch iPod Touch has sold hundreds of millions of units and redefined an industry, and no one else seems to be able to make their own 10- or 7-inch iPod Touches that can come close to competing. So what was your point?

Jim and Mike dismissed the iPhone and the iPad, before scrambling to copy them. That proved to be harder than they thought.

CB would be more interesting if there were more discussion of what makes BBs unique, and what courses might offer RIM some hope, and less petulant whining about Apple.

I'll start. The Playbook's size and widely praised solidity of construction make it ideal as a "ToughPad". If RIM make an evn more ruggedized version, and advertised it as such, they could sell a certain number to industries where the iPad's delicacy is a disadvantage, and it's consumer App library not much of an advantage. They would not sell tens of millions, but they might sell millions, and Cascades + Android Player would allow vertical -market apps relatively easily, without the hassle of going through an app store.

[Darlaten]

The ifad is just a 10inch ifod touch.

A fad eh? Let's see, total tablet's sold in Q1, 2012 is 18.2 million tablets of which 11.8 million are Ipads - or 65% of the total tablet sales in Q1.

I'm sure every single company on the face of the planet would love to have a "fad" such as this.

[stackberry369]

A fad eh? Let's see, total tablet's sold in Q1, 2012 is 18.2 million tablets of which 11.8 million are Ipads - or 65% of the total tablet sales in Q1.

I'm sure every single company on the face of the planet would love to have a "fad" such as this.

an waaay overpriced fad and sheep still buy them as if they are the end all of tablets.they think they have a connection to apple and steve jobs.

[adrenaline_x]

exactly... Its cool / trendy / part of club to own an apple product.

I bought into it after using the 3g, 3gs and gave up after the 4. Lots of people have them at work and play down the reception issues as not a big deal.

Apple has positioned themselves as the cool kid on the tech playground.. But that is waining as low priced apples products begin to reach saturation levels.

As far as tablets, they are king.

I wonder how many playbooks were actually sold last 1/4. If it truly is 1.1 million that is quite the growth spurt. I do see them around alot more.. The price point is killer and i beleive our company is about to buy 10 after initial trials show promise.

[BlackStormRising]

Kindle Fire story is interesting...will there be a Fire sale?

[hurds]

Is it just me or are we starting to hit saturation with all these products. I see iphones everywhere and a lot of iPads. Obviously selling all those ipads has got to be good financially now for apple but I'd imagine it has to eat into their margins. With seemingly negligible changes to their product lines I'd imagine the market will become stagnate since their is zero reason to upgrade. All the other companies seem to be feeling it. I wonder if its only time before samsung and apple start to feel the pinch.

[belfastdispatcher]

The only tablet I have seen out in the wild (airports, cafes, transit) are iPads predominantly and few PlayBooks here and there. The PB owners always smile at each other like we're members of an exclusive club.

Ha ha, so true. By the way, that's what I like about BBM, it's an exclusive VIP club

[belfastdispatcher]

BTW, I have a little story, I sat beside a girl at Starbucks and her Ipad just couldn't connect to wifi (my laptop and my BB had no problems) and she starts ranting about "stupid Apple"
Then she notices Windows 8 on my HP Mini and goes into another rant on how they're trying to copy Apple and how everybody copies Apple LOL, I just agreed and left it there but man, Apple people are sheep, how does Windows 8 look in any way like any of Apple's products?

[Sith_Apprentice]

Keep in mind these are units shipped not sold. Its conceivable that RIM did ship that many units, as their shipments have been nearly nil for 3 previous quarters. Sales of the devices are obviously much lower, but they do have to replenish a depleted in store stock.

[jpash549]

Amazon is going to have to come out with a better Kindle because the bloom is off. Anybody who thinks that Apple can stand still with their 9.7� iPad has not read the story of the tortoise and the hare. Apple will have a mini iPad probably 7.85� plus or minus a little with the same aspect ratio and number of pixels as the iPad 2. The Android bunch including Google and the Asians are entering the fray with a range of sizes. There are a lot more Asians than there are North Americans. And the Asians have a pretty good grip on the manufacturing process.

[FlashFlare11]

BTW, I have a little story, I sat beside a girl at Starbucks and her Ipad just couldn't connect to wifi (my laptop and my BB had no problems) and she starts ranting about "stupid Apple"
Then she notices Windows 8 on my HP Mini and goes into another rant on how they're trying to copy Apple and how everybody copies Apple LOL, I just agreed and left it there but man, Apple people are sheep, how does Windows 8 look in any way like any of Apple's products?

Hahahaha wow!

I have a similar story. A cousin of mine (a huge Apple fan, but doesn't know much about tech) was trying to get me to switch to an iPhone, because the other members of my family had switched to iPhones (it was at a party of about 30: 29 iPhone users and 1 BB user in myself). He could not give me one good reason to switch from my BlackBerry and just said that iPhones are the best phones. When he played with my Torch and noticed that it said "4G" at the top, he said that his iPhone gets 4G as well. I told him that HSPA+, which is what both his iPhone and my BlackBerry are using, isn't LTE, which is closer to "true 4G." He said that there's no difference and maintained that iPhones were the best. I left it at that.

[MartyMcfly]

an waaay overpriced fad and sheep still buy them as if they are the end all of tablets.they think they have a connection to apple and steve jobs.

You sound hurt, do you want to talk about it?

[pilsbury]

I'm enjoying my overpriced 3rd generation fad. Baaaa Baaaa.

[cleacy]

an waaay overpriced fad and sheep still buy them as if they are the end all of tablets.they think they have a connection to apple and steve jobs.

I see this mentioned all the time.

Care to explain how you feel that the ipad is overpriced?

If the ipad is overpriced, what does that make everything else on the market?

What tablet would you feel to be not overpriced, what's the selling price on it, and how much do you feel it costs to manufacture?

[pilsbury]

Well it's sure not the PlayBook. They're practically giving them away. My buddy picked one up at the local Radio Shack for $178 plus tax.

[cleacy]

Well it's sure not the PlayBook. They're practically giving them away. My buddy picked one up at the local Radio Shack for $178 plus tax.

Yet even at that price, people aren't buying. Isn't that the definition of over priced?

[cgk]

Right, if you have to discount to sell your product It is/was overpriced - even more so when you have to take a 400 million writedown and with the prospect of another writedown this quarter. That is the real world version of "overpriced".

Sent from my Lumia 800 using Board Express

[howarmat]

The PB is not overpriced really. At $200 its a great deal actually. The problem is there alot of options between the 200-300 range and a few main applications that the PB doesnt have yet. Its solid hardware with software still trying to catch up to the rest out there