In another sign that the 12.9-inch iPad Pro is faring well against its most obvious rival, Microsoft’s Surface Pro 4, research firm IDC has revealed that Apple’s slate has taken the lead in the UK’s consumer market for detachable tablets – likely helped by the company’s continued popularity in the country.
In fact, 2016’s first quarter saw the United Kingdom surpass Germany to become Western Europe’s largest detachable market, where over 300,000 units shipped. Microsoft’s Surface Pro line still leads the corporate market with a share of over a third, but it’s a different situation among consumers…
There, the iPad Pro’s introduction was mainly responsible for boosting detachable shipments as a whole – and, across the UK’s entire detachable market, Apple now has a share of 21%. Marta Fiorentini, research manager, IDC EMEA Personal Computing, has cited Apple’s strong brand awareness and loyal customer base as factors that should help it to even further grow the consumer segment.
Apple has attained its impressive position here even with little influence from the 9.7-inch iPad Pro, which only became available in the UK during the quarter’s last week. IDC believes, however, that this smaller slab should help encourage existing iPad owners to replace their devices.
