Global tablet shipments for the fourth quarter of 2019 are expected to increase 4.5% on year to the same level as recorded in the third quarter as both Apple and non-Apple brand vendors are likely to see their shipments pick up in the quarter, according to Digitimes Research.
Worldwide tablet shipments amounted to 44.32 million units in the third quarter, representing a sequential surge of 35.5% and an annual expansion of 1.5%.
Besides the seasonality effect, two more reasons can explain the sharp sequential shipment growth for the third quarter, Digitimes Research said. One is that US imposition of extra tariffs on China-sourced tablets prompted vendors to ask ODMs advance shipments delivery. The other is that Huawei managed to boost its shipment volumes starting in the second half of the year to offset poor shipment performance in the first half.
In terms of third-quarter shipment rankings, Apple firmly retained the top spot, followed by Amazon, Samsung, Huawei and Lenovo, with Microsoft taking the sixth place with less than 1pp behind the fifth. The rankings are expected to see a slight shakeup in the fourth quarter, with Samsung to return to the second notch and Amazon back to the third place.
With Apple releasing 10.2-inch inexpensive iPad to replace old 9.7-inch model, shipments of 10.x-inch models rose to over 60% of total global tablet shipments for the third quarter, and the ratio is expected to pick up further to near 70% in the fourth quarter.