Samsung increases lead over Apple in 'smart connected device' sales

Korean firm sees share of PC, tablet and smartphone market jump during Q3 2012

Samsung has improved its market lead over rival "smart connected device" manufacturer Apple, according to an IDC report.

The Korean firm saw its share of the PC, tablet and smartphone market grow by 27 per cent year-on-year in the third quarter of 2012, shipping 66 million products. The Worldwide Quarterly Smart Connected Device Tracker report says Samsung's market share has increased from 14 per cent this time last year, to 22 per cent.

Apple has seen its share of the smart connected device market grow by just one per cent in the same period, but a high starting base means the firm still shipped 46 million devices including iPhones and iPads. Lenovo holds 7 per cent of the market while HP and Sony both have a share of less than 5 per cent this quarter.

The collective total of shipments for Q3 2012 reached a record 303 million units valued at a combined $140billion. IDC expect Q4 shipments to increase further, reaching 362 million units with a market value of $169 billion, thanks to growth driven by a Christmas rush for tablets and smartphones. The demand for these mobile devices is expected to grow year-on-year by and 55.8 per cent and 39.5 respectively.

Meanwhile, the report suggests while demand for PCs has slightly dipped since last year, sales of desktops and laptops will actually slightly increase year-on-year through to 2016. IDC suggest smartphones will continue to boom, taking two thirds of the smart connect device market by 2016.

"Both consumers and business workers are finding the need for multiple 'smart' devices and we expect that trend to grow for several years, especially in more developed regions," said Bob O'Donnell, program vice president for Clients and Displays.

"The advent of cloud-based services is enabling people to seamlessly move from device to device, which encourages the purchase and usage of different devices for different situations," he added.

The report doesn't indicate anything about mobile operating systems, although earlier research by IDC suggests Apple is losing ground to Google Android in that area.