Tablet and Chromebook Shipments Slowed in the Fourth Quarter but Saw Solid Growth for 2021, According to IDC

NEEDHAM, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Worldwide tablet shipments reached 46 million units during the fourth quarter of 2021 (4Q21), posting a decline for the second time since the pandemic began in 2020. Shipments declined 11.9% year over year in 4Q21 as demand slowed, according to preliminary data from the International Data Corporation (IDC) Worldwide Quarterly Personal Computing Device Tracker. For the full year 2021, total tablet shipments were up 3.2% year over year and reached 168.8 million units, the market's highest level since 2016. Meanwhile, Chromebook shipments declined 63.6% year over year in 4Q21, but managed to grow 13.5% for the full year.

"Though 2021 was a great year for the tablet market, shipments have begun to decelerate as the market has moved past peak demand across many geographies," said Anuroopa Nataraj, senior research analyst with IDC's Mobility and Consumer Device Trackers. "However, shipments in the near future will remain above pre-pandemic levels as virtual learning, remote work, and media consumption remain priorities for users."

"Much of the initial demand for Chromebooks has been satiated in primary markets like the U.S. and Europe and this has led to a slowdown in overall shipments. However, Chromebook demand in emerging markets has seen continued growth in the past year," said Jitesh Ubrani, research manager with IDC's Mobility and Consumer Device Trackers. "Supply has also been unusually tight for Chromebooks as component shortages have led vendors to prioritize Windows machines due to their higher price tags, further suppressing Chromebook shipments on a global scale."

Top Five Tablet Companies, Worldwide Shipments, Market Share, and Year-Over-Year Growth, Q4 2021 (Preliminary results, combined company view for the current quarter only, shipments in millions)
Company	4Q21 Unit Shipments	4Q21 Market Share	4Q20 Unit Shipments	4Q20 Market Share	Year-Over-Year Growth
1. Apple	17.5	38.0%	19.1	36.6%	-8.6%
2. Samsung	7.3	15.9%	9.3	17.8%	-21.6%
3. Lenovo	4.6	10.0%	6.2	11.8%	-25.4%
4. Amazon.com	3.6	7.9%	3.6	6.8%	1.3%
5. Huawei*	2.5	5.5%	2.9	5.6%	-13.9%
Others	10.5	22.8%	11.1	21.3%	-5.9%
Total	46.0	100.0%	52.2	100.0%	-11.9%
5. Huawei (including Honor volume in 4Q20)**	2.5	5.5%	3.3	6.3%	-23.5%
Source: IDC Worldwide Quarterly Personal Computing Device Tracker, January 28, 2022

Top Five Tablet Companies, Worldwide Shipments, Market Share, and Growth, Calendar Year 2021 (Preliminary results, combined company view for the current quarter only, shipments in millions)
Company	2021 Unit Shipments	2021 Market Share	2020 Shipments	2020 Market Share	Year-Over-Year Growth
1. Apple	57.8	34.2%	53.3	32.6%	8.4%
2. Samsung	30.9	18.3%	29.7	18.2%	3.8%
3. Lenovo	17.7	10.5%	14.8	9.1%	19.2%
4. Amazon.com	16.1	9.5%	14.0	8.6%	15.1%
5. Huawei*	9.7	5.7%	14.3	8.7%	-32.1%
Others	36.7	21.7%	37.4	22.8%	-1.8%
Total	168.8	100.0%	163.5	100.0%	3.2%
5. Huawei (including Honor volume in 4Q20)**	9.7	5.7%	16.0	9.8%	-39.5%
Source: IDC Worldwide Quarterly Personal Computing Device Tracker, January 28, 2022
Table Notes: * Since Huawei sold its Honor business, data for Huawei in the top line excludes Honor volume for both 4Q21 and 4Q20. ** For year-on-year comparison, an extra line has been added below the table to show what Huawei's growth would have looked like including Honor volume in 4Q20.

Top Five Chromebook Companies, Worldwide Shipments, Market Share, and Year-Over-Year Growth, Q4 2021 (Preliminary results, combined company view for the current quarter only, shipments in millions)
Company	4Q21 Shipments	4Q21 Market Share	4Q20 Shipments	4Q20 Market Share	Year-Over Year Growth
1. Acer Group	1.3	26.3%	2.2	16.8%	-43.3%
2. Dell Technologies	1.0	20.3%	2.7	20.3%	-63.6%
3. Lenovo	0.8	16.1%	2.9	22.1%	-73.5%
4. Samsung	0.6	12.3%	0.8	5.8%	-22.4%
5. HP Inc.	0.5	9.9%	3.5	26.9%	-86.7%
Others	0.7	15.2%	1.1	8.1%	-31.8%
Total	4.8	100.0%	13.1	100.0%	-63.6%
Source: IDC Worldwide Quarterly Personal Computing Device Tracker, January 28, 2022

Top Five Chromebook Companies, Worldwide Shipments, Market Share, and Growth, Calendar Year 2021 (Preliminary results, combined company view for the current quarter only, shipments in millions)
Company	2021 Shipments	2021 Market Share	2020 Shipments	2020 Market Share	Year-Over Year Growth
1. HP Inc.	10.2	27.7%	9.4	28.8%	9.3%
2. Lenovo	8.3	22.4%	6.7	20.7%	23.4%
3. Acer Group	6.4	17.3%	6.1	18.7%	4.6%
4. Dell Technologies	5.4	14.6%	5.7	17.5%	-5.2%
5. Samsung	3.2	8.8%	1.8	5.6%	77.2%
Others	3.4	9.2%	2.8	8.7%	19.5%
Total	37.0	100.0%	32.6	100.0%	13.5%
Source: IDC Worldwide Quarterly Personal Computing Device Tracker, January 28, 2022
Table Notes: Data is preliminary and subject to change. Shipments include shipments to distribution channels or end users. OEM sales are counted under the company/brand under which they are sold. The "Company" represents the current parent company (or holding company) for all brands owned and operated as subsidiary. Chromebook numbers include Notebook PCs running Chrome OS.

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