The 12.9-inch iPad Pro from Apple is ruling the roost since its November launch and has outsold the Microsoft Surface line-up according to a new report.
According to an International Data Corporation (IDC) report, the iPad Pro has become the blue-eyed boy of consumers and research data suggests that over a million more units of the biggest Apple tablet have sold in comparison to the complete Microsoft Surface line-up which is composed of the Surface 3, Surface Pro 4 and the Surface Book.
In Q4 2015, Apple shipped a little over 2 million iPad Pros, whereas Microsoft sold 1.6 million devices in its Surface line-up according to Jean Philippe Bouchard, IDC researcher. For those wondering which Surface device better performed, a majority of the tablets sold comprised the Surface Pro vis-à-vis the budget-friendly Surface 3.
Bouchard also reflected on the fact that the results mirrored the market trend that consumers gave priority to performance over pricing when considering the purchase of a detachable.
IDC took into consideration devices such as the Surface and iPad Pro for its analysis, which are designed so that they can work in tandem with keyboard accessories from the first-party itself, unlike the iPad Air.
"Despite lukewarm reviews, the iPad Pro was the clear winner this season as it was the top selling detachable, surpassing notable entries from Microsoft and other PC vendors," noted Jitesh Ubrani, Senior Research Analyst with IDC." It's also important to note that the transition towards detachable tablets has presented positive opportunities for both Apple and Microsoft."
The IDC report also listed the top five tablet vendors for Q4 2015 in terms of shipment where Apple occupied the top spot with 16.1 million units, followed by Samsung with 9 million (13.7 percent market share) and Amazon with 5.2 million (7.9 percent market share). Lenovo and Huawei rounded off the top five with shipments of 3.2 million (4.8 percent market share) and 2.2 million (3.4 percent market share), respectively.
Even though Apple dominates the tablet shipments for the quarter, its market share is 24.5 percent, which has dropped when compared to the same period in 2014 (28.1 percent). iPad shipments see a decline of 24.8 percent when compared to Q4 2014. The reason for this decline - despite the iPad Pro's launch - could be slow sales during the holiday season.
Total tablet shipments in 2015 amounted to 206.8 million, compared to 230.1 million in 2014. This was a decline of 10.1 percent and could ring alarm bells for the tablet makers. Consumer's transitioning to bigger smartphones instead of acquiring tablets could have potentially attributed to the decline.
