Apple's iPad shipments drop 6.2% in global decline in tablet market

However, Apple still retained the top spot in the tablet market, ahead of competitors like Samsung, Lenovo, Amazon etc.

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Apple retained its lead in the worldwide tablet market, with the iPad, amidst an overall decline in the sale of tablets in the third quarter of 2016. According to research firm IDC (International Data Corporation), the tablet market declined by 14.7% year-over-year, with vendors shipping a total of 43 million units in this quarter. The data comes from the Worldwide Quarterly Tablet Tracker, from the IDC.

Further, Apple’s reportedly shipped 9.3 million units of the iPad in 2016, gaining a market share of 21.5%. Interestingly, the IDC’s report says that despite Apple pushing the iPad Pro, the iPad Air and iPad Mini ranges made up over two-thirds of the shipments in this quarter. That said, Apple’s tablet shipments didn’t escape the global fall either. The company saw a 6.2% decline year-over-year on its tablet shipments, while its revenues from iPad were flat for the third quarter of 2016.

South Korean giant, Samsung, came in second after Apple, with 15.1% market share in this quarter. According to the IDC, the Galaxy Note 7 issues did not affect Samsung’s tablet business. The company was followed by Amazon, Lenovo and Huawei, with 7.3%, 6.3% and 5.6% of the market respectively.

Lastly, the IDC’s report states that sub-$200 detachable devices reached an all time high, with vendors like RCA flooding the market.