Apple Catching Up With Samsung In Smart Connected Device Shipments [Report]

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Apple is beginning to close the gap on Samsung over shipments of smart connected devices, which includes computers, smartphones, and tablets. The Cupertino company grabbed 20.3% of the market by the end of 2012, according to IDC, while Samsung just about had the edge with a 21.2% share.

Thanks to its premium price tags, Apple’s already way ahead of Samsung when it comes to revenue. In fact, Apple goods accounted for 30.7% of the industry’s total revenue during 2012, while Samsung sales accounted for 20.4%.

Tablet sales jumped a whopping 78.4% during the 12-month period with 128 million units shipped, which was a big contribution to the industry’s almost 30% growth. And tablet sales are expected to remain strong in the coming years. IDC expects tablet sales to surpass desktop PC sales this year with 48.7% growth, and then overtake laptop sales in 2014.

The smartphone business, which is beginning to steady following several years of explosive growth, is expected to grow by 27.2% during 2013.

Most of this growth is happening in emerging markets, which saw 41.3% growth last year, driven by 111.3% growth in tablet sales. More mature markets saw slower growth, largely due to the drop in demand for desktop PCs, and this trend is expected to continue this year.