It is not new that the COVID-19 pandemic has had an impact far beyond the health of the population. At the beginning of March, IDC predicted that the coronavirus could "impact" the tablet market in Europe, the Middle East and Africa and now reveals preliminary data worldwide. According to the consultant, the number of tablets distributed on the market fell by 18.1% over the same period last year. Apple continues to lead the market, although it has not been immune to the pandemic. "Hybrid" gadgets, which can integrate accessories such as keyboards, are becoming increasingly popular.
In the first three months of the year, 24.6 million tablets were placed on the market. Despite this decline, there is an increase in the number of hybrid tablets distributed, with a growth of 56.8% over the same period. The main "boost" were Apple iPads, which recently launched a new iPad Pro. This gadget stands out for the introduction of the new eight-core A12Z Bionic processor and a greater focus on augmented reality features, through the new LiDAR sensor.
The rest of the tablets, which cannot be added, have the same popularity. In this case, the distribution decreased by 36.4% compared to the first three months of 2019.
Apple distributes fewer iPads but continues to lead the market. Amazon the fastest growing
Apple remains the main supplier of tablets, despite the drop. With the large number of tablets distributed at the end of 2019 and the closure of factories in the first quarter of the year due to the pandemic, the apple company placed 30.4% less iPads on the market compared to the same period. Even so, it also continues to lead the "hybrid" tablet sector, as all iPads, with the exception of the mini, now allow adding a keyboard.
The top three are Samsung and Huawei, with around 5 and 3 million units distributed, respectively. The South Korean company is the only one of the three to register a 3.9% increase over the same period last year. Lenovo and Amazon are the remaining companies that most distribute tablets on the market, with the American company seeing greater growth in the supply of tablets, compared to the first quarter of 2019.
These figures contrast with the growing demand for tablets in Europe in the middle of a pandemic. In mid-April, IDC analysts said that there was a peak in demand for portable computers and tablets in the first quarter of the year, due to the isolation and teleworking situations forced by the new coronavirus.
