Tablet sales are finally starting to stabilise in Europe

The declining tablet market in Western Europe has finally started to stabilise, according to analyst IDC.
Total tablet shipments contracted annually by 1.2 per cent in Q2 2015, reaching 7.5 million units, which is one of the smallest declines since the downturn started at the beginning of 2014.
The dip was a result of weak demand for consumer tablets and an increase in interest for two-in-one devices. The drop in tablet shipments stabilised to 4.4 per cent, while growth for two-in-ones reached 71 per cent.
Daniel Goncalves, research analyst for personal computing at IDC, said: “The interest in two-in-ones that we observed in previous quarters is clearly materialising into corporate deployments and consumer purchases, especially among professionals and students.”
Apple and Samsung dominated the tablet marketplace in Europe according to IDC, while smartphone vendors including Alcatel and Huawei have also seen a steady growth.
But does this mean that tablet sales are finally starting to recover? Within the commercial market, tablets have increased by 50 per cent compared to the same quarter a year ago, with slate tablets taking the top spot as the preferred device for specific vertical functions.
Chrystelle Labesque, research manager for personal computing at IDC, added: “The vendor landscape in the tablet market remains very broad and while price and volume pressures were at first negatively impacting smaller players, some of them now seem to have established a better position, capturing specific local demands or segment needs at the expense of more dominant players.
“Apple and Samsung are both focusing a lot of attention on the commercial segment, and are capturing part of this increasing opportunity, while traditional PC manufacturers are also extending their solutions offer to this segment.”

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