South Korean electronics firm Samsung has topped the list of global smart connected device shipments by garnering 21.8% market share during the third quarter of 2012 (3Q12), followed by US based Apple with 15.1%, according to a new report from IDC.
IDC Worldwide Mobile Device Trackers programme manager Ryan Reith said that the battle between Samsung and Apple at the top of the smart connected device space is stronger than ever.
"Both vendors compete at the top of the tablet and smartphone markets," Reith said.
"However, the difference in their collective ASPs is a telling sign of different market approaches.
"The fact that Apple’s ASP is $310 higher than Samsung’s with just over 20 million fewer shipments in the quarter speaks volumes about the premium product line that Apple sells."
According to the report, the global smart connected device market which includes PCs, tablets, and smartphones, reported 27.1% rise during the quarter to 303.6m shipments valued at $140.4bn.
IDC expects the shipments during the holiday season quarter to report 19.2% rise over 3Q12 and about 26.5% rise when compared to the same quarter during 2012.
IDC’s Worldwide Quarterly Smart Connected Device Tracker revealed that the shipments during 4Q12 are expected to reach 362 million units valued at $169.2bn.
During the holiday season, tablets and smartphones are expected to drive the growth by rising 55.8% and 39.5% when compared the earlier year, while PCs are anticipated to decline during the quarter.
IDC anticipates that the worldwide smart connected device shipments will reach 2.1 billion units in 2016, valued at $796.7bn globally.
By 2016, PC market is expected to decline 19.9%, while smartphones and tablets are expected to grow to 66.7% and 13.4%.
The transformation of demand from PC to smartphones and tablets will drive the combined market ASP to $378 in 2016.
IDC Clients and Displays programme vice president Bob O’Donnell said that 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.
"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," O’Donnell said.
