Chrome OS Detachables on the Rise While Tablet Market Struggles

Global tablet shipments in the first quarter of 2018 (1Q18) reached 31.7 million, declining 11.7% from the prior year, according to preliminary data from IDC. However, the growing niche of detachable did experience more than 2.9% year-over-year growth and captured 15.3% share as newer models came into play. Meanwhile, the decline for traditional slate tablets continued as vendors managed to ship 26.8 million units, down 13.9% from the prior year.

"Chrome OS' entrance in the detachable market is a welcome change as Google is finally a serious contender from a platform perspective," said Jitesh Ubrani, senior research analyst with IDC's Worldwide Quarterly Mobile Device Trackers. "Google's tighter control and integration of Chrome OS will allow brands to focus more on hardware design and additional services rather than spending resources reconfiguring Android to work in a detachable setting. Combined with Microsoft's efforts to run Windows on ARM, the detachable market is poised for strong growth in the near term.

"The timing of Chrome OS' official entry into the tablet category is apt," stated Linn Huang, research director, Devices and Displays. "Peak education buying season is approaching, and Chrome OS has resonated with administrators for its manageability where deployment is strong. Schools looking for that same environment but in tablet form - generally students aren't provisioned a device with a keyboard until older - could find favor with these new devices.

Apple's leading position remained unchallenged during the quarter as the company managed to ship 9.1 million iPads. Samsung maintained the second position although the company's shipments declined 11.4% compared to last year. Huawei grew 13% year over year, gained more than 2% of share sequentially, and climbed back into the ranks of the top 3.

Lenovo managed to grow 1.8% compared to the past year with most of the growth stemming from its detachable portfolio as the company shipped over two hundred thousand detachables. Amazon slipped into fifth place though this does not come as a surprise as the company's tablet shipments are highly seasonal.