According to the latest figures published by the IDC research group, the tablet market in Western Europe posted a slight 1.7% year-over-year (YoY) contraction. In total, 7.1 million devices were shipped in the region, a performance above expectations that shows some resilience in the tablet market after many quarters of decline.
The recovery in Android-based slates in consumer and the continuous progress of tablet in enterprise were the main drivers of the first quarter 2017Q1 results. Detachable tablets (such as the iPad Pro) grew 5.8% year-over-year and continued to positively impact the market. There was particular traction in the commercial segment, with strong 16.6% YoY growth.
Overall, the commercial segment performed positively with 5.4% YoY growth. Android- and iOS-based devices with keyboards, mainly adopted by enterprises to address the specific needs of certain groups of users in various sectors, drove detachable growth in the commercial segment in the first quarter.
IDC notes that, as expected, the adoption of Windows-based detachables slowed down in quarter one. Several factors affected the penetration of Windows, such as the growing focus on convertibles by major original equipment manufacturers, sluggish Windows 10 adoption in large and very large corporations, and the lack of a Surface Pro refresh.
In quarter one of 2017, Android slates had their first YoY increase since 2014Q3 (4.8%) and contributed to the larger-than-expected volume in the market. Apple introduced its new iPad late in the quarter and that should sustain a stronger second quarter, according to IDC. iOS-based devices still account for around 50% of all tablets above €600.
