Based on global shipments, Apple was the leading media tablet vendor between 2011 and 2024. As of the first quarter of 2024, the Apple iPad held a 32 percent share of the global tablet market, down from 40.6 percent in the previous quarter.
Tablet market share in 2023 – additional information
Around 128.5 million units of tablets were shipped worldwide in 2023, with shipments reaching over 36.8 million units in the final quarter of the year. Throughout the year, around 48.5 million iPads were shipped, while Samsung tablet units were about half of Apple's. However, Android overtook Apple’s iOS as the most popular operating system in 2012 until the second quarter of 2022, when Apple regained the leading position. As of the fourth quarter of 2023, about 55 percent of all tablets that were shipped worldwide ran on the iPadOS operating system. Android remains the second most popular operating system, holding a shipment share of 45 percent.
Apple vs. Samsung
Apple is the leading tablet vendor, holding a share of 32 percent of global tablet shipments in the first quarter of 2024. The company has nevertheless seen its market share in the tablet market decline in recent years. This has coincided with the rise of Samsung, whose tablets run on Android, which has seen its market share rise from 7.3 percent in the last quarter of 2012 to 21.7 percent in the first quarter of 2024. Overall Samsung shipped just 6.7 million units of tablets in that quarter, in comparison to the 9.9 million shipped by Apple, which generated the company revenue of over five billion U.S. dollars.
