Research firm International Data Corporation (IDC) has revealed that “smart connected device” shipments — which includes computers, smartphones, and tablets — reached a record high during the third quarter of 2012, largely thanks to Apple and Samsung. The pair’s hugely popular devices helped the market grow 27.1% year-on-year as it reached a record 303.6 million shipments valued at over $140 billion.
As you might expect, Samsung claimed the top spot for shipments during the third quarter, with 21.8% of the share. Apple came in second place with 15.1% of the share. Apple continues to lead in terms of value, however, raking in $34.1 billion during the three month period, with an average selling price of $744 across all device categories. That’s $310 more than Samsung’s average selling price.
Almost all vendors saw growth during the third quarter of 2012, with the exception being HP. Its market share dropped from 7.4% in Q3 2011 to 4.6% in Q3 2012, while shipments declined 20.5% over the 12 months.
IDC expects the fourth quarter’s figures to be even greater. It has predicted that shipments will reach 362 million units as we approach the new year, with a market value of just over $169 billion. Tablets and smartphones will account for more than half of those numbers, according to IDC, with 55.5% and 39.5% growth respectively year-on-year.
PC shipments, on the other hand, are expected to decline slightly.
IDC expects the worldwide smart connected device market to surpass 2.1 billion units by 2016, with a market value of $786.7 billion.
Source: IDC
Via: The Next Web
