Apple iPad global unit sales by quarter 2012-2020

Apple’s shipments of iPads fluctuated over the years, peaking in the in the fourth quarter of 2013 at 26 million devices. During the third quarter of 2020, Apple shipped nearly 14 million tablets worldwide, showing growth both in quarter-on-quarter terms and in comparison to the third quarter of 2019. While figures for the first quarter of 2020 are not available, the overall growth during the year shows that the supply and demand for the product has shown resilience even in the face of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.

Apple’s products

Although the iPhone has been the main contributor to Apple’s revenue, the iPad accounted for over ten percent of the revenue in the third quarter of 2020. The share of the revenue from iPhones was nearly 41 percent, followed by services with 22.5 percent, and Mac with 14 percent.

Smartphone era

Over 45 percent of all smartphone users in the United States in 2018 were iPhone users. The iPhone usage share was expected to keep increasing in the following years. However, Apple is no longer the world leader in the smartphone market. Samsung held nearly 23 percent of the market in the third quarter of 2020, followed by Huawei and Xiaomi, whereas Apple came in fourth in the ranking with less than 12 percent. Apple’s market share does tend to fluctuate throughout the year, in line with their product release cycle.