Apple’s decision to take on Microsoft’s Surface Pro line in the productivity tablet space has paid off – as the iPad Pro reportedly outsold all Surface models combined during the fourth quarter of 2015.
Taking into account figures sourced from his research firm’s Worldwide Quarterly Tablet Tracker, Jean Philippe Bouchard, IDC’s Research Director, Tablets, said: “We believe Apple sold just over two million iPad Pros while Microsoft sold around 1.6 million Surface devices, a majority of which were Surface Pro and not the more affordable Surface 3.”
He observed: “With these results, it’s clear that price is not the most important feature considered when acquiring a detachable – performance is.” Indeed, the broader picture that IDC painted of the global tablet market is generally in Apple’s favor, especially as the quarter saw the Cupertino company remain the market leader, having shipped a total of 16.1m iPads.
