In last week's fantastic Apple financial results report (How many times can Tim Cook say "the best quarter in history"?) There was an important mole: the 11% drop in iPad sales (measured in dollars).
However, as we discussed with Alvaro Dávila in our DGTal episode, the drop may have had more to do with the lack of launch of the Pro models than with a real drop in the number of units sold.
And now, thanks to preliminary figures released by IDC on Friday, it looks like we were right!
As can be seen from the table, the iPad not only grew, but Apple was only one of the two manufacturers that sold the most tablets and gained market share during the quarter (Apple + 22% and Lenovo + 8.3%).
Why the difference between the results reported by Apple? Because in the case of IDC what is measured is volume, in units, and not the money generated. That is, Apple sold 3 million more iPads during the quarter than a year ago but they were cheaper models, which represented 11% fewer dollars.
And the result is not strange if you take into account that during 2019 Apple did not launch any iPad Pro but it did launch a new iPad (just), a new iPad Mini and a new iPad Air, models that in addition to a processor update and memory, they incorporated compatibility with Apple Pencil and adopted new functionalities thanks to the introduction of iPadOS, factors that made them more attractive to users who in 2018 would only have considered the Pro as an alternative.
I think there are XX additional themes to highlight from the figures presented by IDC, especially if we look at the consolidated figures for the year:
- The tablet market continues to contract. During 2019, almost 2 million fewer units were sold than in 2018.
- Despite the terrible drop in sales that Amazon had in the last quarter (-29%), in the year it ended up growing almost 10%. What's more, along with Apple they are the only 2 companies that grew.
- The momentum of the last quarter (+ 8.3%) did not help Lenovo to book the fall in sales for the year.
- The iPad is and continues to be, the undisputed leader in the tablet category. 1 out of 3 devices that were sold during 2019 was an iPad. The Multi-model, multi-price point strategy and the incorporation of the Apple Pencil to most models have worked.
Now we just need to see what Apple will bring us this 2020.
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