Samsung surpasses Apple as the dominant force in the "smart connected device" sector
In 2012, the market for "smart connected devices" – including smartphones, tablets, laptops, and desktops – experienced rapid growth, primarily driven by the rise of smartphones and tablets.
According to a report by Forrester Research, tablets were the fastest growing category, with unit shipments shooting up 78% to 128 million in 2012. Smartphones accounted for 60% of those devices, with smartphone shipments growing 46% to 722 million during the year. Laptop or 'portable PC' shipments shrank by 3% to 202 million in 2012, while desktops slid 4% to 148 million.
Thomas Husson, Forrester analyst, notes that while more LTE rollouts for consumers are expected in 2013, few tablets will have embedded 4G modems. For tablets to be used on the go frequently, operators would need to offer more affordable cellular data packages bundled with Wi-Fi usage.
The report suggests that the adoption of tablets in the workplace, the diversification of form factors, and the progressive emergence of 4G and cellular data bundles will drive significant changes in tablet usage. Currently, tablets are primarily used for media consumption at home, but this pattern is expected to change in the near future.
Regarding market shares, Samsung, Apple, Lenovo, Hewlett-Packard (HP), and Dell were major players. Samsung and Apple were dominant in smartphones and tablets – with Apple leading tablets and Samsung strong in smartphones. Lenovo, HP, and Dell were significant in PCs (laptops and desktops).
Samsung, in particular, became the world's leading manufacturer of "smart connected devices" in 2012, with its share of the market growing from 12.3% in 2011 to 20.8% in 2012. Apple's share also grew, but from 16.3% in 2011 to 18.2% in 2012.
Forrester Research predicts tablet adoption in Western Europe will grow 10-fold from 14% in 2012 to 55% in 2017, marking tablets as a mainstream computing device in that region. However, the report does not specify if the predicted growth in tablet adoption will be evenly distributed across all Western European countries or if certain countries will see more significant growth.
The report does not discuss the potential impact of the predicted growth in tablet adoption on the overall market share of smart connected device manufacturers like Samsung, Apple, Lenovo, Hewlett-Packard, and Dell. For a more detailed analysis of the 2012 figures and Forrester's exact prediction, specialist market analysis reports from that period (e.g., Gartner, IDC, or Forrester directly) should be consulted.
| Category | 2012 Shipments/Trend | |-----------------------|------------------------------------| | Smartphones | Largest and fastest growing segment| | Tablets | Rapid growth, emerging category | | Laptops | Moderate growth | | Desktops | Declining shipments |
| Company | Market Strength in 2012 | |---------------|------------------------------------------------| | Samsung | Leading smartphone shipments | | Apple | Leading tablets, strong smartphone sales | | Lenovo | Large PC (laptop/desktop) market share | | Hewlett-Packard (HP) | Strong PC market share | | Dell | Significant PC market share |
| Prediction by Forrester | Tablet adoption in Western Europe by 2017 reaches about 50% of connected device users |
Gadgets such as smartphones and tablets have seen significant growth, with smartphones accounting for the largest and fastest growing segment in 2012. The report also predicts that tablet adoption in Western Europe will reach approximately 50% of connected device users by 2017.
