iPad enjoyed steady growth during the third quarter of this year, giving Apple an even greater share of the worldwide tablet market.
But it is Amazon that will be most delighted with the latest figures. Shipments of its Fire slates more than doubled year-over-year as a result of generous Prime Day discounts.
Tablet sales haven’t been anywhere near as spectacular as Apple might have hoped in recent years. But iPad has remained king of the tablet market since its introduction way back in 2010.
That won’t change anytime soon, with iPad shipments up 4% year-over-year for the third quarter of 2019. But Apple might want to keep an eye on Amazon, which is quickly climbing toward the top.
iPad shipments top 10.1 million units
Apple shipped approximately 10.1 million iPad units last quarter, according to the latest data from Strategy Analytics. It shipped around 9.7 million units during the same period in 2018.
That’s not a huge increase, but it did come with a rather large positive: Total revenue grew 8%, indicating Apple is now selling pricier iPad Pros in larger numbers than it was a year ago.
Apple is one of only three companies, alongside Amazon and Lenovo, that enjoyed shipment growth during Q3. Samsung and Huawei, which make up the top five, both saw significant dips.
Samsung’s tablet shipments fell from 5.3 million units in Q3 2018 to 5 million units in Q3 2019. Huawei’s shipments dropped from 3.8 million units to 3.1 million units during the same time.
Amazon enjoys mammoth growth
Amazon enjoyed the biggest growth. Its shipments rocketed from around 2.2 million units in Q3 2018 to 5.3 million units in Q3 2019. That’s a whopping 141% increase.
Strategy Analytics attributes that rise to hefty discounts on Fire Tablets for Prime Day. The flagship Fire 10 HD 10 was dropped to $99.99 ($50 off), while the new Fire 7 hit a mere $29.99 ($20 off).
We will likely see similar discounts for Black Friday, and again as we approach the holidays. That means Amazon will likely enjoy another market share boost in Q4.
Apple will also see greater demand for iPad as customers rush out to pick up its latest models in holiday sales.
Tablet shipments top 38.2 million units
Overall tablet shipments topped 38.2 million units during the third quarter of 2019. That’s a 4% decline from the 39.7 million units shipped during the same quarter last year.
That makes Apple’s, Amazon’s, and Lenovo’s growth in this sector even more impressive.
