Tablet shipments drop nearly 30% in Q1 of 2011

Tablet shipments around the globe fell by 28% in the first three months of 2011, new figures from analyst firm IDC today reveal.

Only 7.2 million tablets were sold between January and March of this year, compared to the 10.1 million sold in the final quarter of 2010.

However, these figures only paint half the picture. Rather than illustrating a bursting tablet bubble, they only act to highlight the shopping rush experienced in the lead up to Christmas, and the inevitable decline in spending in the new year months that follow. Also, who was going to rush into shops to buy a tablet between January and March of this year, knowing that the Apple was teasing the iPad 2 release just around the corner in April?

Jennifer Song, IDC research analyst corroborates: “Although media tablet sales were not as high as expected in the first quarter of 2011 due to slower consumer demand, overall economic conditions and supply-chain constraints, we believe with the entrance of competitive new devices in the second half of 2011, the market will sell close to 53 million units for the year and continue to grow long-term.”

While the IDC state that “other vendors have had a more difficult time finding market acceptance for their products”, the iPad 2 continues to dominate the tablet market according to the IDC. This is in spite of the fact that Android tablet sales continue to rise, with an 8% jump in take-up during Q1 of 2011, bringing Android tablet’s worldwide market share up to 34%.

Via: Computer Weekly