Tablets were the only category to decline in Apple’s Q3, and it was part of a category-wide trend. In the overall tablet market, shipments fell 8.8% worldwide in Q3 to 38.6 million, for the fifth consecutive month of decline, according to a Monday IDC report. Market leader Apple had a year-on-year decline of 1.1% to 14.5 million but grew share to 37.5%, IDC said. Samsung had half that share, with a 4% drop in shipments to 7.1 million. Amazon’s units dropped 8.1% vs. Q3 2021 to 4.3 million, with 11.1% share. Lenovo’s shipments plunged 36.6% to 2.7 million, for 7% share. Huawei rounded out the top five with 2.4 million shipments. “After massive growth in 2020 and 2021, a decline in the tablet market was expected in 2022,” said IDC analyst Anuroopa Nataraj, citing a demand slowdown, plus strong macroeconomic headwinds. Chromebook shipments also struggled in Q3, declining 34.4% to 4.3 million units. Both markets have shifted from supply-constrained industries to ones that are demand challenged as consumer and education spending has slowed amid economic uncertainties. Chinese vendors continue to do well in emerging markets where there is low-end demand, and sanctions from many vendors enabled Chinese vendors like Huawei to perform well in the Russian market, IDC said. Chromebooks will continue to play a role in personal computing and ultimately grow their presence vs. other platforms, said analyst Ryan Reith.
Amazon is taking preorders for next-generation Fire HD 8 tablets, starting at $99, it said Wednesday. The four-unit series, with a processor that’s said to be 30% faster, has 13-hour battery life and a lighter design, Amazon said. The faster hexa-core processor allows customers to multitask -- watching videos and sending email or browsing the web simultaneously, for instance, the company said. The tablet charges in five hours; a USB-C charging cable and 5-watt power adapter are included. The HD 8's new display size feature lets users magnify on-screen elements for easier viewing or reduce their size so they can do more on the display at once, the company said. The HD 8 Plus ($119) adds 3 GB RAM to allow users to “switch seamlessly” between apps, has a three-hour faster charging time and offers Qi wireless charging, the company said. The step-up tablet also has a 5-megapixel rear-facing camera. The Fire HD 8 Kids (ages 3-7, $149) and Fire HD Kids Pro (ages 6-12, $149) tablets come with one-year subscriptions to Amazon Kids+ content. Availability is Oct. 19, Amazon said.
Amazon began taking preorders Tuesday for its smallest and lightest Kindle, a $99 device with 6-inch display, USB-C charging, up to six-week battery life and double the storage to 16 GB, it said Tuesday. The same features also come with the newest Kindle Kids tablet ($119), which includes a one-year subscription to Amazon Kids+ for age-appropriate books. A free, four-month Kindle Unlimited membership is included with Kindle for a limited time, it said. Product release day is Oct. 12, it said.
The TCL TAB Disney Edition is available exclusively at Verizon for an estimated selling price of $199.99 (see 2206300056). The TCL 30 LE smartphone is available for Verizon Prepaid customers at Verizon and Walmart for an estimated selling price of $104.99.
TCL announced Thursday the TCL TAB Disney Edition tablet, a Verizon-exclusive, with access to preloaded Disney-themed games, puzzles and wallpapers. The 8-inch tablet has a rubberized bumper case to protect against drops and scratches and Dragontrail glass for durability, TCL said. The 18.4-ounce Android device, with a foldout kickstand, is available for Verizon Prepaid at $199, $104 at Walmart, the company said. Tablet plans start at $20 per month.
Amazon refreshed the Fire 7 tablet, boosting processor performance by 30% and battery life by 40%, for up to 10 hours’ use, it said Wednesday. Preorder starting price is $59, including a USB-C adapter; $109 for the Fire 7 Kids tablet including a one-year subscription to Amazon Kids+. The tablets are due to ship June 29.
Apple and Samsung collectively controlled 59% of the global tablet market in Q1, when shipments declined 10% year over year to 40.9 million units, reported Strategy Analytics Friday. Apple shipments declined 6% to 15.8 million units, but its worldwide share rose 1.7 points to 39% as it outpaced the market, said SA. Q1 iPad shipments in Q1 were 1% higher than in the holiday quarter, when Apple was “severely supply-constrained,” it said. Samsung led the Android market with only a 1.2% year-on-year decline to 8.2 million units in Q1, when its share increased by 1.8 points to 20%, it said.
Supply constraints and tough comparisons with the 2020 quarter combined to force a 10% decline in Q3 global tablet shipments, reported Strategy Analytics Friday. “Market demand is still far stronger than it was pre-pandemic,” said SA. “As the COVID pandemic remains a key concern around the world, this tension between high demand and low component supply will test vendors and their channel partners as we enter the winter holiday season.” Apple shipments to retail grew 15% year on year to 17.3 million units, sending its global share 8 points higher to 38%, said SA. "With a portfolio stocked with highly capable productivity tablets, Apple’s strong growth came at the expense of other vendors competing for tight supplies," said analyst Eric Smith.
Verizon is the exclusive retailer for the TCL TAB Pro 5G, the company’s first tablet for the North American market, said TCL Thursday. The $399 10.3-inch device has a standard dynamic range-to-HDR enhancement feature that lets viewers watch videos in HDR regardless of the source quality. It has a Qualcomm Snapdragon Octa-core chipset, stereo sound and an 8,000 mAh battery with reverse charging capability that allows battery life to be shared with other devices.
Amazon updated its Paperwhite line of e-readers with three models that went on preorder Tuesday for delivery in late October. The 2021 line includes the first model designed for kids, which Amazon described as “purpose-built” for reading with no distractions, such as games or video, for kids ages 7 and up. The waterproof 6.8-inch Kindle Paperwhite Kids ($159) has an adjustable “warm” light, glare-free display and up to a 10-week battery life; it comes with a free year of Amazon Kids+ ($2.99 monthly subscription) and a two-year guarantee. The standard model also stepped up to a 6.8-inch display from 6 inches and features the adjustable light, USB-C charging and 10-week battery life. The base model ($139) has 8 GB storage. The Signature model ($189) adds an auto-adjusting light sensor, 32 GB storage and wireless charging, a first in the Kindle line, Amazon said. The Book Cover feature lets users see the cover of the book they’re reading on the lock screen without ads. Both models come with four free months of Kindle Unlimited ($9.99 a month).