ABI Research-Playbook Shipments up 233% in Q1

iPad Remains Dominant in 1Q)

iPad Remains Dominant in 1Q�2012 While Kindle Fire Fizzles


NEW YORK - June 4, 2012

​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.

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

I am confused on RIM's growth rate being + as meaning much if the article is comparing 1st qtr 2012 to 1st qtr 2011 (calendar)? Retail shipments started April 2011, so only the initial Launch shipments from March 2011 to retail stores are being compared to a full qtr in 2012. Or did I miss something?

Originally Posted by howarmat

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

How did you deduce that figure?

Samsung in second place shipped 1.1 million. Most likely Amazon will be in third place with their Kindle Fire. So how the heck is RIM supposed to have sold more than 1.1m tablets, more than Samsung in second place?

RIM shipped 500k units last quarter...233% of 500K is 1.165 million. Like i said the math is incorrect somewhere if we are comparing last quarter to this quarter

"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."
So they're comparing first quarter 2012 to fourth quarter 2011. RIM's shipments were up 233% from 4Q 2011 in 1Q 2012. Where's the math problem? Also, when exactly did RIM drop the PB prices? It seems to me that it was sometime late in 4Q 2011. This probably explains most of the sales increase.

The supposed 233% gain is sequential from 4Q2011 to 1Q2012---read the end of the sentence that mentioned it. The confusion may be in comparing calendar 4Q2011 (which ran from Oct 1 to Dec 31) and fiscal 4Q2011 (which ran from Dec 1 to Feb 29). The 500,000 units were shipped during the fiscal quarter---likely more than in the calendar quarter.

Is there any research (PlayBook data) about Q4 2011 (calendar quarter)?

Can someone please make the maths and tell us how many PB has been shipped until end of Q4 fiscal ?
Is the 1.5 Million figure that was rumored roughly exact ?

1.3 i think was the total after Q4

Well, I think the good news is that playbook sales were going up during a lackluster sales period (post Christmas). Certainly, the price drop played a big role but in the 200-300 dollar range, this device is an absolute steal. It also tells you that tablet shoppers are price sensitive and not particularly brand loyal.

Is the survey shipped versus the numbers we see from RIM which are sold? Maybe the inventory was low at the distributors and the survey number reflects sales plus inventory, not just sales.

Keep in mind that "shipped" != "sold".

RIM might be aggressive in pushing the PlayBook down different sales channels, there's still the matter of actually selling them.

If RIM wrote off the inventory from last year as a loss, they're free to allocate them anywhere they see fit (ie, ship them); we will definitely see bigger shipment numbers. RIM could load them into a spaceship and fire them into the Sun, that still counts as "shipped". With back-to-back contracts with every carrier on this planet, shipment is not RIM's problem. Adoption is the name of the game right now.

Keep your fingers crossed for a possible winning combination of extremely low prices and the new BB10 OS for a surge in adoption. That might keep RIM safe from being sold in pieces.