Worldwide tablet shipments recorded year-over-year growth of 22.1% in the second quarter of 2024 (2Q24), totaling 34.4 million units, according to preliminary data from IDC.

Apple shipped 12.3 million units and grew by 18.2% year over year in the quarter. With the launch of the 11" and 13" iPad Air and iPad Pro models, the company was finally able to record growth in the market. iPad volumes grew across the globe except for China, where competition from local players like Huawei and Xiaomi negatively impacted the company.

While IDC recorded Apple with 18.2%, Apple's CFO Luca Maestri stated during Apple's fiscal Q3-24 financial conference on August 1 that the for the iPad " we reported 24% growth in the June quarter. Clearly we had the benefit from the launch in the June quarter of the new products, the iPad Air and the iPad Pro." So Apple's market share was higher than IDC recorded.

Tim Cook added that "during the quarter, I should also say that iPad returned to growth in Greater China, as it did around the world."

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In distant second, Samsung had shipments of 6.9 million units in 2Q24, which represents year-over-year growth of 18.6%. The vendor managed to grow despite not having any major product launches. Growth mainly came from several commercial deployments and a favorable 2Q23 comparable.

While new entrants to the market focus on their global expansion, long-term leaders continue to focus on improving technology (as in the case of OLED displays for iPad Pros), catering to the need for premium devices, and utilizing the power of emerging technologies like AI," said Anuroopa Nataraj, senior research analyst with IDC's Mobility and Consumer Device Trackers. "Long-term gains for the market depend on the vendors' ability to build devices that can carve a niche for tablets – one that includes innovation and differentiation."