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Tablets bounce back a bit

by on25 August 2016


But still no recovery

Global tablet shipments are expected to bounce back a little bit, but there are still no signs that the product is recovering.

Digitimes Research experts have been shuffling their tarot cards and reached the conclusion that tablet sales will increase 16.3 per cent  sequentially to reach nearly 47 million units in the third quarter.

However, that volume is still pretty rubbish. It is down over 10 percent compared to the same quarter a year ago, showing the market is still in no condition of recovery.

In fact, the bounce back might be due to the vendors' inventory build ups for the year end holidays in Europe and North America and the fact that several emerging markets have seen improved economies, which has increased tablet demand.

So not much cheer for those who thought that tablets would be game changers and replace PCs (yeah there were people who said that).

Apple is expected to see its tablet sales dip a bit, although it is expected to flog 9.5 million units in the third quarter thanks to steady demand for the 9.7-inch iPad Pro. It looks like it is the white box tablet makers who will see sales increase to 18.5 million units in the third quarter on growing shipments to retail shops in the US and Europe and an easing in the supply of some key parts and components.

Non-Apple tablet vendors are benefiting from inventory build-ups in the third quarter, but in the long term that is not very good. Most of them remain conservative about their business outlook.

Samsung Electronics will see its shipment momentum fade during the peak season as its new entry-level and mid-range models will face increasing competition from China brands.

Lenovo is expected to temporarily outperform Amazon to take the third position in third-quarter rankings, but its tablet business unit has decided to shift its focus to Chromebooks and other Android devices. Amazon will see its shipments decline in the third quarter due to product shifts.

Last modified on 25 August 2016
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