Once again, Apple managed to escape unscathed. Apple’s latest financial results confirm that the company exceeded expectations, staying very close to the record. Specifically, it had $6,670 million in revenue in the iPad category, and that figure could rise or at least stay the same in the coming months, despite the market’s behavior.

According to a report shared by research firm Canalys, first-quarter shipments fell 17% year-on-year from the pandemic years. While 14.9 million iPads were shipped in the first quarter of 2022, 12.4 million iPads were shipped in the same quarter of this year.

While the pandemic has been a major event in boosting demand for both commercial and consumer tablets and laptops during lockdowns, it’s not alarming that shipments have dropped below worry levels recently. If it had not been for COVID-19 in recent years.

The report highlights that tablet shipments fell 18% to 31.7 million units in the first quarter of 2023, below pre-pandemic levels. According to Himani Mukka, Research Manager at Canalys:

A drop in tablet demand is always expected after the holidays, but the cut in consumer spending has been drastic this time due to high inflation. There is also a more structural fix as the drivers of peak demand have largely disappeared during the pandemic.

Despite the worldwide market performance, Apple remained strong, especially given the lack of new launches in the first quarter.

Looking at how brands have performed over time, it’s clear that Apple continues to maintain its position as the undisputed market leader. This demonstrates the strength and loyalty of its customers, as well as the company’s ability to adapt and maintain its leadership position even in challenging times. The same report explains:

The global installed tablet base has grown tremendously over the past two years, so there are significant opportunities for users to upgrade the value chain with future upgrades. Vendors have begun to showcase products that provide a superior user experience through chipset innovation, better displays for content consumption, or enhanced productivity features.

The launch of the new iPad Pro with OLED and M3 chip will be crucial to maintain this lead, but we’ll have to wait a few more months to find out, according to recent reports.