Tech

No-name tablets shine in shipments, but profits go to Apple, Samsung, Microsoft

Average selling prices are holding up well in the tablet market courtesy of devices like the Surface Pro and iPad Pro.

Written by Larry Dignan, Contributor June 9, 2016 at 7:13 a.m. PT

You've heard of white box PCs and servers--no-name generic systems that don't cost much--but now it's clear that the tablet market is also being commoditized at a rapid clip.

A report from Strategy Analytics noted that Apple took 39 percent of the revenue in the tablet market in the first quarter followed by Samsung at 16 percent and Microsoft at 8 percent.

Right behind Microsoft in terms of revenue was white box manufacturers. White box players accounted for 28 percent of tablet shipments in the first quarter, or 13.3 million devices, followed by Apple at 22 percent.

Microsoft and Apple combined to sell more than 1 million of their enterprise tablets--Surface Pro and iPad Pro--in the first quarter and those 2-in-1 devices helped preserve average selling prices. Samsung also has its Galaxy Pro. Also: CNET's best tablets of 2016

Here's the data in a handy graphic.