03 June, 2017
Given that, a decline in shipments year on year is not too surprising, said Chayse Gorton, client device analyst for IDC New Zealand.
"2016 was an interesting year for smartphones with some high-growth markets down and other mature markets like the United States and China outpacing global growth rates", said Ryan Reith, program vice president with IDC's Worldwide Quarterly Mobile Device Trackers.
iBall: iBall maintained its fourth place standing with 4.7 percent QoQ in Q1 2017.
"The smartphone market is in for an exciting year, with the expected launch of the 10th generation iPhone set to boost Apple's shipments, and enable Apple to again challenge Samsung for the leading position", Gorton concludes.
"Due to growing digital proliferation across industries, commercial segment especially large enterprise, government and education sectors, are expected to increase their demand for tablets", he said.
IDC puts the decline of tablet shipments in the consumer segment at 28 per cent in Q1 2017, which has contributed to the sharp 18.6 drop in the overall tablet segment in India. IDC predicted iPhone shipments will grow by 3.8% this year and will continue to build momentum heading into next year.
Among the reasons mentioned for the expected rebound, Reith said that markets including the Middle East and Africa, Central and Eastern Europe, and Southeast Asia still have plenty of room to grow.
The study also found that, for the first time in recent years, the share of 7-7.9-inch tablets dipped to 70 percent in the first quarter of this year. These went on sale in May 2017, so will help bolster Samsung's second quarter shipments.
-Datawind, which makes Akash tablets secured the second position with a 20.7% market share. Although shipments grew by 16.7 percent from the previous quarter, shipments are down 38.9 percent over Q1 2016. Limited shipments of iPad mini, which accounted for over one-third of total shipments last quarter, would result in shrinking of iOS market in India, the report added.
The new Goods and Services Tax (GST) regime is slated to take effect from July 1. The distribution channels for tablets will be cautious on procuring new inventory especially in the month of June. Research Manager, IDC India. If all high-end smartphones have big screens these days, IDC thinks that smartphone manufacturers are now using borderless designs to stand out in the market. "Media consumption, gaming, augmented and virtual reality, and constant connectivity are drivers of this trend", said Ryan Reith, program vice-president, IDC's Worldwide Quarterly Mobile Device Trackers.