Tablet market, frightening growth in the first quarter of 2013

In the first quarter of the year the tablet market shows a volume of deliveries equal to that in the second half of 2012

In the first quarter of 2013 deliveries of tablet systems have grown at a rate of 142.4% compared to the same quarter of last year, as indicated by the preliminary estimates of the independent analyst firm IDC. Deliveries of the tablet came to 49.2 million units in the first quarter of the year, surpassing the deliveries made throughout the second half of 2012. With the growth fueled by market demand more and more lively for devices with small screens, tablets show no sign of abating.

At the top of the ranking is positioned Apple, surpassing the previous IDC projections for the quarter with a volume of 19.5 million units compared to 18.7 million estimated by analyst firm. Apple, which historically recorded a marked decline in deliveries in the first quarter, as a result of strong sales in the Christmas quarter, this year has seen a softening of the seasonal dynamics.

And 'Korea's Samsung to place second, reporting better than expected results and also with increased deliveries compared to the fourth quarter of the year, with the smaller tablet that have started to gain traction in the market. The Korean company has also relied on its latest Android smartphone to bring its tablet on new markets and new channels, with the ability to offer bundled packages and promotions. The strong performance of Apple and Samsung have helped to push the quarterly worldwide shipments to 49.2 million units.

Tom Mainelli, research director for IDC Tablets commented: "The long-term demand for iPad mini and strong commercial deliveries have led to a quarter of the expected better for Apple. Additionally, moving the launch of the iPad in the fourth quarter of 2012, Apple has avoided the traditional slowdown in the first quarter that occurs when consumers postpone their purchases of January and February to wait for the launch of new products in March. 

Taiwan's Asus is ranked third instead, continuing to record good levels of deliveries thanks to the Nexus 7. However, with the Google I / O around the corner and the upcoming update of the device, the company will have to find a way to continue to sustain the momentum. Amazon is instead slipped to fourth place, once again the victim of a series of products which are very seasonal.

Microsoft enters for the first time in the top-5 with deliveries of Surface Surface Pro RT and combined that come to 900 thousand units. Most are models Surface Pro, which the company has begun shipping in the U.S. and Canada during the month of February. In addition to products Surface, the third-party tablet based on Windows 8 and Windows RT continue to have difficulty in gaining hitch on the market. Deliveries combined tablet Windows 8 and Windows RT came to 1.8 million units.

Ryan Reith, program manager for IDC Mobility Tracker program, said: "Recently, rumors have been circulating about the possibility of an arrival on the market of tablet Windows 8 and Windows RT with smaller screens. But this can not be the salvation. The market is moving clearly towards devices to 7-8 inches, but the great challenges of Micrososft are focused on the message to the consumer and competition costs. If Microsoft manages to overcome these challenges, along with a new range of devices with different screen sizes , then we see a growth company in Redmond in 2013 and beyond. 

As for the market share of operating systems for tablet recording the reversal of power relations between Android and iOS, with the robot, which holds 56.5% of the market and the operating system of Apple slips to 39, 6%.