Tablet shipments dropped one percent year-on-year (YoY) in New Zealand, with 67,000 tablets shipped in Q1 2016 compared to 68,000 in Q1 2015.
Yet according to IDC findings, a colossal 142 percent increase in detachable tablet shipments in Q1 2016 (quarter ending March 2016), was not enough to offset declines in shipments of the older, slate-style tablets.
“Many of the biggest New Zealand tablet vendors including, Microsoft, Apple, Samsung and HP have been switching their focus to developing detachable tablets, which many consumers are adopting over traditional slate tablets, because of the increased productivity benefits they offer," says Chayse Gorton, Client Device Market Analyst, IDC New Zealand.
“IDC expects further pressure on the slate market to come from larger screened smartphones, which in effect provide users with mini-slates.”
In contrast to the ups and downs of the tablet market, Gorton says the mobile phone market posted impressive growth rates, experiencing a 26 percent YoY growth in shipments, in Q1 2016, to reach 382,000 units compared to the -12 percent YoY decline in Q1 15.
Across the country, the top three mobile phone vendors, were Apple, Samsung, and Vodafone, making up 79 percent of the total market size.
Going forward, IDC expects continued momentum from these vendors in the short-term, especially with recent product launches and with more expected throughout 2016.
“The double digit growth we are seeing in smartphone shipments is remarkable considering the overall maturity of the mobile device market and the range of dynamics at work,” Gorton adds.
“Most consumers who were going to make the transition to smartphones have done so already and as a result the smartphone space is edging ever closer to saturation.”
