Apple’s iPad still number 1 in China unit share, but its lead is shrinking

“IDC’s Dickie Chang, Senior Market Analyst for Client Devices in Asia/Pacific, released estimates for the number of tablets shipped to China customers in the June quarter,” Chuck Jones reports for Forbes.

“It shows that iPad shipments increased 28% year over year to 1.48 million units while its market share decreased from 49% to 28%,” Jones reports. ” Apple’s second quarter shipments could have been negatively impacted by a portion of the company’s 700,000 iPad channel inventory reduction.”

Jones reports, “Samsung moved into second place with 329% growth to 571,000 units and taking 11% market share with Lenovo slipping to third with 413 ,000 tablets, 102% growth and 8% share. ASUS and Acer were fourth and fifth but only had 1% market share each… What is also interesting is that there are over 50 other tablet vendors who have 1% or less market share. This market is due to have a major shakeout over the next 12 to 24 months and there will probably be some major price wars as this occurs.”

Read more in the full article here.

10 Comments

  1. I don’t know how a Chinese or for that matter Japanese character keyboard works but to me it might be more efficient to write the characters by hand (finger) on the screen ala the Newton MessagePad handwriting recognition software. If so, a larger 4.8″ iPhone would aid this process immensely.

    I feel Apple’s reluctance to make a bigger screen iPhone is hurting them in the Chinese market, not least because bigger = looks more expensive.

    1. There are some good stylus products for iPad. I have a Bamboo Stylus for iPad and a Kuel H10 (Sherbet Pink) for iPhone 4S.

      I plan to try out the new one just released by Wacom—seems it would be good for Chinese calligraphy as well as sketching. I believe there are OCR systems that can translate Chinese or other logographic characters from a Unicode database (might need an extra gigabyte or two).

      Wacom unveils Intuos Creative Stylus for Apple iPad and iPad mini

    2. Even before the iPad was launched and before the iPhone boom Apple was already forward thinking about the Asian market by acquiring Chinese handwriting technology HWPen from Hanwang in 2008.

      Toms Guide
      2008:
      “Hanwang’s HWPen application allows users to draw Chinese letter shapes on the handset screen and converts these drawings into actual character inserted into whatever text field a cursor is currently positioned.

      Shortly after we had learned about this software, iPhone 2.0 firmware leaks suggested that the iPhone would get handwriting recognition as a system-wide feature”

      —–
      I also read reports some time back that top Singapore Chinese high schools are using iPads.

      —–
      Jobs could always see the potentials far in advance….

  2. How about an iPad mini “C”? Wrap the same durable plastic enclosure of the upcoming iPhone 5C around the internals of the current iPad mini and sell it for $229. Introduce it alongside the Retina iPad mini with its price still intact at $329. Just like the iPhone 5C, Apple would be able to reach deeper into the lower middle class while maintaining its premium brand.

    iPad mini $229
    iPad mini Retina $329
    iPad 4 $399
    iPad 5 $499

    That’s a solid lineup right there, folks.

    1. The iPad mini’s price is as low as you’re going to get without compromising quality. I think $329 is super affordable, even in countries like China and India. If Apple were to bring out a retina iPad mini this year, they can discount last year’s model to $299, and that I think would be as attractive as it gets.

      You don’t want to be playing in the same rat infested field that the Nexus 7 is playing in because you don’t want the stigma that Android has which is ‘too cheap’ and ‘too much plastic, like a Dell’.

      Look at where Dell is today for a prognostication of Android’s future. You can only whore yourself out cheaply once and people will form the wrong impression that yours is not a premier product.

    2. Interesting idea, R2, and it makes a lot of sense. I am not certain that the plastic-backed iPad mini with standard display would make it down to $229, though. Possibly $279, but I can’t see it going much lower during the next iPad mini cycle.

  3. Groan, MDN why you so guillable in trusting staistics from any analytics company, such as IDC or Strategy Analyticd?!

    Pro tip: if they don’t reveal their methodology, margin of error, and provide purported results showing.a striking advance by Samsung, then don’t bother giving the bozos the dignity of an article.

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