Samsung’s tablet market share doubles in Q3

Samsung Electronics saw its market share in the tablet PC market nearly double in the third quarter from three months earlier as it moved to catch up with rival Apple, data showed yesterday.

The Korean tech giant’s global market share reached 18.1 percent in the July-September period, compared with 9.2 percent in the previous quarter, according to the data by research firm Strategy Analytics.

Meanwhile, Apple’s market share fell to 52.9 percent from 68.4 percent, narrowing the gap between the two companies to 34.8 percentage points.

Samsung’s increased market share was attributed to a surge in the company’s Latin American market stake. In the third quarter, Samsung claimed 43.6 percent of the Latin American market to surpass Apple.

The quarterly result was also attributed to Apple’s slipping market share in some regional markets. The U.S. tablet maker saw its market share in North America, Asia and the Middle East and Africa slump roughly 20 percent.

Market watchers forecast the two tech giants to ramp up competition against each other in the tablet market. Samsung and Apple, the world’s two biggest smartphone makers, have been competing to gain supremacy in the global smartphone market.

Yonhap