Skip to main content

IDC says 3Q tablet shipments miss mark, but 4Q should be huge

Barnes & Noble Nook Color
Image used with permission by copyright holder

Market research firm IDC has released new figures for the sales of “media tablets” worldwide during the third quarter of 2011: where IDC had forecast shipments of 19.2 million units, only 18.1 million got out the door, meaning IDC’s forecast was off by almost six percent. Nonetheless, the tablet market showed strong year-on-year growth, up more than 264 percent from the same quarter last year. Of course, the winner for the third quarter by far was Apple—IDC says Apple shipped 11.1 million units, accounting for 61.5 percent of the worldwide “media tablet” market. But the firm is forecasting the holiday-laden fourth quarter will see strong demand for media tablets.

“Amazon and Barnes & Noble are shaking up the media tablet market, and their success helps prove that there is an appetite for media tablets beyond Apple’s iPad,” said IDC research director Tom Mainelli, in a statement. “That said, I fully expect Apple to have its best-ever quarter in 4Q11, and in 2012 I think we’ll see Apple’s product begin to gain more traction outside of the consumer market, specifically with enterprise and education.”

IDC has redefined its definition of “media tablet” to include LCD-based products like the Barnes & Noble Nook Color, which creates a rather broad category that perhaps under-represents Apple’s dominance of the tablet market. These devices don’t offer the same capabilities as more-flexible tablets like the Apple iPad and Samsung Galaxy Tab, although an argument can be made they fill similar functional roles in many consumers’ lives.

IDC forecasts a rosy future for Android, saying the introduction of the Kindle Fire and other devices will lead to “dramatic gains” in tablet marketshare. IDC is calling for Android-based media tablets to account for more than 40 percent of worldwide tablet shipments during the fourth quarter.

According to IDC, after Apple, Samsung captured the number two spot in the worldwide tablet market with a 5.6 percent share, and HP got number three by blowing out its discontinued TouchPad tablets for a 5 percent share. IDC says Barnes & Noble shipped some 805,000 Nook Colors during the quarter, which is enough to give it the number four slot and a 4.5 percent share of the “media tablet” market.

Geoff Duncan
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Geoff Duncan writes, programs, edits, plays music, and delights in making software misbehave. He's probably the only member…
AT&T just made it a lot easier to upgrade your phone
AT&T Storefront with logo.

Do you want to upgrade your phone more than once a year? What about three times a year? Are you on AT&T? If you answered yes to those questions, then AT&T’s new “Next Up Anytime” early upgrade program is made for you. With this add-on, you’ll be able to upgrade your phone three times a year for just $10 extra every month. It will be available starting July 16.

Currently, AT&T has its “Next Up” add-on, which has been available for the past several years. This program costs $6 extra per month and lets you upgrade by trading in your existing phone after at least half of it is paid off. But the new Next Up Anytime option gives you some more flexibility.

Read more
Motorola is selling unlocked smartphones for just $150 today
Someone holding the Moto G Stylus 5G (2024).

Have you been looking for phone deals but don’t want to spend a ton of money on flagship devices from Apple and Samsung? Have you ever considered investing in an unlocked Motorola? For a limited time, the company is offering a $100 markdown on the Motorola Moto G 5G. It can be yours for just $150, and your days and nights of phone-shopping will finally be over!

Why you should buy the Motorola Moto G 5G
Powered by the Snapdragon 480+ 5G CPU and 4GB of RAM, the Moto G delivers exceptional performance across the board. From UI navigation to apps, games, and camera functions, you can expect fast load times, next to no buffering, and smooth animations. You’ll also get up to 128GB of internal storage that you’ll be able to use for photos, videos, music, and any other mobile content you can store locally. 

Read more
The Nokia 3210 is the worst phone I’ve used in 2024
A person holding the Nokia 3210, showing the screen.

Where do I even start with the Nokia 3210? Not the original, which was one of the coolest phones to own back in a time when Star Wars: Episode 1 -- The Phantom Menace wasn’t even a thing, but the latest 2024 reissue that has come along to save us all from digital overload, the horror of social media, and the endless distraction that is the modern smartphone.

Except behind this facade of marketing-friendly do-goodery hides a weapon of torture, a device so foul that I’d rather sit through multiple showings of Jar Jar Binks and the gang hopelessly trying to bring back the magic of A New Hope than use it.
The Nokia 3210 really is that bad

Read more