IDC: tablet and Chromebook shipments grew in 2021, but things are slowing down

2020 was a banner year for tablets with record shipments in the fourth quarter. This was driven by the surge of people who work or study at home due to the pandemic. Now with the pandemic easing off, shipments are slowing down as well, according to data from the IDC.

2021 was still positive for manufacturers as total shipments went up 3.2% for the full year, reaching a total of 168.8 million. That’s the most slates shipped since 2016. However, the final quarter of the year made it clear that the demand is past its peak.

In Q4 2021 tablet shipments were down to 46 million units, the first decline since the pandemic began. Also, almost all manufacturers in the Top 5 posted negative year-over-year growth (all but Amazon, which is essentially level with a 1.3% rise).

It is Samsung and Lenovo that took the biggest hits, Huawei too, if you consider the Honor tablets that the company used to ship. Apple is still by far the biggest player, check the tables below for a detailed breakdown.

While tablet shipments started to sag in the final quarter, Chromebook shipments experienced a precipitous fall – they were down 63.6% in Q4. However, success earlier on in the year meant that they were still up 13.5% for the full 2021.

This pushed them up to 37 million units total, up from 32.6 million last year and around 15 million in 2019. Part of the slowdown is attributed to the US and European markets becoming saturated, the good news is that there is still demand in emerging markets. That wasn’t all, though.

Chromebooks were hit with a double whammy last year – market saturation and chip supply shortages. With not enough chips to go around, manufacturers focused their supply on Windows laptops, which have higher margins.

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