Federica Laricchia
Research expert covering the global consumer technology industry
iPad - statistics & facts
Right in between smartphones and PCs, the iPad - first introduced to the consumer market in 2010 - is the pioneer of the modern tablet market, offering users an additional mobile device with computing capabilities. The tablet industry has grown in recent years, recording revenues of under 55 billion U.S. dollars in 2024. Since its introduction, Apple has released several versions of the iPad, with the regular iPad, iPad Mini, iPad Air, and iPad Pro, running on the latest version of their operating system iPadOS 18. In the company’s 2024 financial year, iPads generated almost 27 billion U.S. dollars in revenue, accounting for over seven percent of Apple’s total global revenue in the last quarter of that year.
Looking ahead, the iPad will continue playing a major role in the tablet market, with new models, updates and functionalities expected to be released in the future, as Apple aims to retain its leadership and stay ahead of the curve in the competitive tablet industry.
Apple faces competition in the tablet industry
After introducing the iPad, competitors rushed into the market with their own tablet devices, often providing products at a lower price. As a consequence, Apple saw its global market share decrease steadily from about 60 percent at the beginning of 2011 to under. Despite retaining the top spot among tablet vendors, the company does not hold the title for the most popular operating system for tablets. Indeed, with Android being used as operating system by different tablet vendors and continuously gaining popularity, the American tech giant’s overall tablet OS market share is not expected to grow in the coming years.iPad popular all over the world
From the United States to Europe, many electronics device owners choose the iPad as their preferred tablet. For instance, in the United States, the iPad was the most popular tablet in 2024, with over 40 percent of Americans having one. The same can be said for the United Kingdom, where Samsung and Amazon were the second and third favorite tablet brands, respectively. On the contrary, in the same period, Samsung was the leading tablet vendor in Italy, whereas around 30 percent of Italians owned an Apple iPad.Looking ahead, the iPad will continue playing a major role in the tablet market, with new models, updates and functionalities expected to be released in the future, as Apple aims to retain its leadership and stay ahead of the curve in the competitive tablet industry.
