Microsoft’s Entire Surface Line Outsold by iPad Pro in Q4 2015: IDC

Regardless of the mixed reviews and the late launch, Apple’s iPad Pro seems to be doing pretty well in the tablet market at least when compared to Microsoft’s Surface line according to a recent estimate by IDC that points to a rise of the detachable hybrids last quarter.

“We believe Apple sold just over two million iPad Pros while Microsoft sold around 1.6 million Surface devices, a majority of which were Surface Pro and not the more affordable Surface 3,” IDC research director Jean Philippe Bouchard said in a release. We can’t help but to wonder how Apple’s multiple country launch has helped them to beat this as compared to Microsoft’s conservative approach in launching the Surface line globally.
The research group claimed that the iPad Pro is a hit when considered the declining tablet market that fell by 10% year over year. They also mentioned that the core reason behind this turnover is because customers are now seeing these devices as laptop replacement more than as tablets. This will eventually lead to elimination of carrying two products for different tasks. Apple’s CEO, Tim Cook, had also said that the device can replace PCs (not something we completely agree or disagree), and not accompany them, and IDC agrees that these so-called hybrids are taking a bite out of the tablet market.

“With these results, it is clear that price isn’t an issue for users now – performance is.”, added the director. The Surface line saw a growth of 29% giving the ever growing market of larger tablets a potential hope in the industry as smaller tablets struggle to reign.
“It’s also important to note that the transition towards detachable tablets has presented positive opportunities for both Apple and Microsoft,” IDC Analyst Ubrani added. “However, Google’s recent foray into this space has been rather lackluster as the Android platform will require a lot more refinement to achieve any measurable success.”
Overall though, the tablet market is seeing signs of declination with sales falling every quarter. Apple still however managed to get a major chunk by selling 16.1 Million iPads capturing with 24.5 percent (28.1% last year) of the market in Q4 2015 which they hope will get better with the launch of the Air 3 that is supposed to arrive this Spring. Samsung on the other hand wasn’t able to impress with its 13.7 percent market share coming in at the second spot behind Apple.

On third was the e-book giant, Amazon benefiting from its Fire tablet that sold for only a $50 during holding season accounting for 7.9% of the market. Lenovo and Huawei rounded out the top five.
Overall tablet shipments in 2015 totaled 206.8 million, down from 10.1% from 230.1 million in 2014.