iPad Sales Grow, But Tablet Market Share Slows

Tablet sales are slowing as users reach the market saturation point, according to a tracking company.

IDC, a global market researcher, reported that there were 76.9 million units shipped in the last three months of 2013, about 28 percent higher year-over-year. Apple's share of the market was 33.8 percent which was down almost 5 percent from 2012. Samsung, on the other hand, had its market share rise almost 7  percent.

While many say the PC is dead, the slowing tablet sales may be causing alarm from makers, including Apple. "The numbers bring into focus the challenges the company faces as it attempts to grow its tablet business in markets outside of its traditional mature-market strongholds and in the face of continued success from competitors both large and small," IDC reported in a statement.

In the Apple earnings call earlier this week, Apple chief Tim Cook mentioned wanting to spread the iPad to enterprise and appeal to businesses. "I think the road in enterprise is a longer one," Cook said. "The arc is longer than in consumer, which can immediately go out and buy things, etc. And I think we’ve done a lot of the groundwork."

Eventually every electronic device will reach a saturation point, but Apple may not always have that next new thing that everyone wants, hence the reason for its stock freefall since its earnings call. We think that may be shortsighted, especially since six months seems like a lifetime on Wall Street.
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