Lack of New Products Slow Apple's Tablet and iOS Sales

Apple is facing a slower boom in the smartphone and tablet market, due in no small part to a lack of new product announcements. According to new reports from research firm IDC, Cupertino has lost ground on Google's Android mobile OS while tablet sales have decreased without the unveiling of a new iPad.

iCharts

A total of 236.4 million smartphones shipped in the second quarter of 2013, a 51.3 percent increase from the same period in 2012. But the iOS portion of the smartphone marketshare saw a 20 percent increase, compared to the 73.5 percent jump of Android, and a 77.6 percent increase year-over-year for Windows Phone.

Of course, Android has remained the dominant mobile OS for some time, but the considerable increase for Windows Phone is attributed to new products from Nokia. Apple has yet to announce a new smartphone since the iPhone 5 a year ago, a clear explanation for the sluggish increase in sales.

"Without a new product launch since the debut of the iPhone 5 nearly a year ago, Apple’s market share was vulnerable to product launches from the competition," said IDC's Ramon Llamas. "But with a new iPhone and revamped iOS coming out later this year, Apple is well-positioned to recapture market share."

Apple faced similar news in the tablet market, with the absence of a new iPad seemingly slowing overall sales of all brands (Apple or otherwise). While second quarter global shipments of tablets rose 59.6 percent year over year, the market saw a 9.7 percent decline since the first quarter of 2013.

Image Source: IDC

Shipments of iPads slipped to 14.6 million units in the second quarter, down from the 19.5 million iPads shipped in the first quarter of 2013. Samsung's tablet shipments also fell half a percent since the first quarter, while third-place ASUS saw a decline from 2.6 million tablets to 2 million units.

"A new iPad launch always piques consumer interest in the tablet category and traditionally that has helped both Apple and its competitors," said IDC's Tom Mainelli. "With no new iPads, the market slowed for many vendors, and that's likely to continue into the third quarter."

Android saw an increase of 162.9 percent of tablet OS market share in second quarter 2013, year-over-year, while Apple lost 14.1 percent in the same period. Windows saw a yearly increase of 527 percent.

All that said, IDC expects new tablet announcements from Apple and Amazon to drive new sales by the end of the year. And if Apple releases its cheaper, plastic iPhone in the near future, things could certainly shift.

Matt Clark is a freelance writer covering the world of videogames, tech, and popular culture. Follow him on Twitter @ClarkMatt and MyIGN at Matt_Clark.

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