"Challenging year ahead" for tablet as growth stalls

Q1 shipment growth in the single digits - lower than expected

The brakes were slammed on sharply in the tablet market in the first quarter of 2014, according to IDC, with unit shipments creeping up a mere 3.9 per cent annually.

For the first three months of the year, global shipments of tablet and two-in-one devices reached just 50.4 million units - up 3.9 per cent annually but down 35.7 per cent compared with the busy holiday quarter before it.

The analyst said the slowdown was felt across tablets of all sizes running across all operating systems and pointed to an "even more challenging year ahead".

"The rise of large-screen phones and consumers who are holding on to their existing tablets for ever-longer periods of time were both contributing factors to a weaker-than-anticipated quarter for tablets and two-in-ones," said Tom Mainelli, IDC's programme vice president for devices and displays.

"In addition, commercial growth has not been robust enough to offset the slowing of consumer shipments."

Top dog Apple lost around eight percentage points in tablet market share last quarter after its shipments slumped 16.1 per cent annually.

Nearest rival Samsung saw shipments soar 32 per cent over the same period, but Lenovo grew the most after it managed to more than triple the number of units it shipped to 2.1 million, seeing it gobble up 4.1 per cent market share.

IDC said Android continued to dominate the market but said Windows-based tablets are on the up.

"With roughly two thirds share, Android continues to dominate the market," said Jitesh Ubrani, research analyst of IDC's worldwide quarterly tablet tracker.

"Although its share of the market remains small, Windows devices continue to gain traction thanks to sleeper hits like the Asus T100, whose low cost and two-in-one form factor appeal to those looking for something that's 'good enough'."