Consumers keen on Apple, less so other tablets

Apple’s tablet device marketshare reached 68% during the first quarter of 2012, however, overall tablet sales failed to reach analysts’ projections, according to a new report.

According to the IDC Worldwide Quarterly Media Tablet and eReader Tracker report, total tablet shipments for the quarter reached 17.4 million.

The figure represents both a larger than expected seasonal decline from the record-breaking 28.2 million units sold in the previous quarter, and significant year-on-year growth from the 7.9 million units shipped in the first quarter of 2011.

Apple was the clear market leader, extending its marketshare to 68%, up from 54.7% in the previous quarter. However, in spite of the release of the new iPad, a seasonal decline saw volumes fall to 11.8 million units, down from 15.4 million in the previous quarter.

Samsung claimed second place in the tablet market after Amazon’s Kindle marketshare fell from 16.8% to 4% during the quarter, with Lenovo and Barnes & Noble rounding out the top five vendors by marketshare.