Apple launched the OLED iPad Pro last year with a brand-new design that is slimmer than any product the company has made in the past. While there are a handful of contenders in the industry, no one comes close to Apple in the global tablet market share in the fourth quarter of last year. We have previously reported that despite the M4 iPad Pro's new design and stunning OLED display, it did not contribute to the 15 percent growth of the segment.
No other company comes close to Apple when it comes to global iPad shipments, including Samsung, with only half the number
Mark Gurman also corroborated the same, stating that the growth was derived from the iPad Air and the lower-end iPad models. In a new report, Canalys reports that Apple's iPad market share increased to 42.3 percent during the fourth quarter of 2024 in the global tablet market share.
The company shipped an estimated 16.9 million iPad units in the last quarter of 2024. The numbers are up from 14.8 million units in Q4 of 2023, which shows significant growth. Samsung has been the company's competitor from the beginning, and it is the only manufacturer that came close to Apple, with 7 million units shipped in the fourth quarter of 2024, capturing 17 percent of the market.
Lenovo took third place, followed by Huawei and Xiaomi, but none of them came close to Apple in terms of shipped units and overall market share. In 2024, Apple shipped a total of 57 million iPads, capturing 38.6 percent of the market, which is twice as many tablets as Samsung sold at the same time, shipping just 27.8 million devices.
It can be clearly seen that Apple's market presence is far superior to the competition, which means it can use its vast user base to boost its revenue stream through various services. As mentioned before, Apple's M4 iPad Pro, with an OLED display and a new design, did not contribute to the 15 percent gain, but the overall annual growth could reflect the sales of the ultra-thin iPad. While the exact percentage increase has not been mentioned, we believe that the M4 iPad Pro is one of the reasons why Apple was able to boost its market share.
We are now also hearing that Apple has begun mass production of its M5 chips, which could mean the company plans to launch an upgraded version of the OLED iPad Pro in the coming months. It was previously reported that the M5 iPad Pro could see some delays, which was expected to launch by the end of this year or early next year. Do you think the M4 iPad Pro contributed to global iPad shipments?
About the author: Ali Salman is a technology reporter for Wccftech mobile section with a specialized focus on Apple and the intellectual property that drives mobile innovation. He has cultivated a unique expertise in analyzing and deconstructing complex technology patents, translating dense legal and technical documents into clear, insightful reports on future products.
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