The tablet market is facing a fall this year, particularly close to the year end, according to experts in the field. The second quarter shipments were below expectations, but third quarter may bring a rebound, with an increase of 23.8% on quarter.
The data comes from the latest Digitimes Research Tracker service. Worldwide tablet shipments are expected to reach 68.5 million slates in Q3, up 9% from the same time last year. The global tablet market is still maturing and annual growth will only fall to single digits in both third and fourth quarters. The main cause for the weaker than expected Q2 was Samsung’s poor performance, apparently.
The vendor couldn’t keep up the growth momentum it had registered in previous periods, mostly because all their product lineup was the same and many models cannibalized each other. If you look at the Pro tablet series, the Note and the Tab S, you’ll feel confused regarding what model to pick. And then there’s the Galaxy Tab 4… The second half of the year prepares more obstacles for tablet makers, as notebook vendors try to reclaim some market share themselves.
