Federica Laricchia
Research expert covering the global consumer technology industry
Tablets in Italy - statistics & facts
A perfect mix between a smartphone and a laptop, tablets feature laptop capabilities while offering smartphone portability. Since its introduction in 2010 with the Apple’s iPad, the device has quickly gained popularity around the world, including Italy. In the southern European country, tablets account for a fairly large share of the overall computer market, but laptops still generate most of the revenue. In 2023, the Italian tablet market was forecast to generate around 870 million euros in revenue, decreasing from the previous year.
As for operating systems, today Android is the leading tablet operating system in Italy. Until 2020, Apple iPadOS was the most popular operating system in the country. However, iPadOS is supported only on Apple devices, while Android runs on tablets manufactured by different firms, including Samsung, and Huawei. Therefore, with the addition of new tablets to the market in the past years, Android overtook iPadOS in 2021, and dominated over 56 percent of the Italian tablet operating system market in 2022.
Apple leads the Italian tablet market, but Android is the dominant OS
Following the launch of the Apple iPad, other consumer electronics companies entered the tablet market with their own device. Examples are Samsung, Huawei, and Lenovo. Over the past decade, their share of the Italian tablet market has increased, and yet Apple has remained the leading tablet vendor in the peninsula. The only exception was the year 2021, when the Korean tech giant Samsung overtook the American. In 2022, the Italian tablet market was mainly dominated by Apple and Samsung, which occupied over 43 percent and almost 39 percent of the market, respectively. Huawei’s presence in the market has grown, becoming the third most common tablet brand in the country.As for operating systems, today Android is the leading tablet operating system in Italy. Until 2020, Apple iPadOS was the most popular operating system in the country. However, iPadOS is supported only on Apple devices, while Android runs on tablets manufactured by different firms, including Samsung, and Huawei. Therefore, with the addition of new tablets to the market in the past years, Android overtook iPadOS in 2021, and dominated over 56 percent of the Italian tablet operating system market in 2022.
Italian tablet users forecast to increase
Through the years, tablets have become more popular among Italian consumers, becoming one of the most owned consumer electronics devices in the country. As of 2023, around one third of the Italian population owned a tablet, with the number of users forecast to increase in the near future. Indeed, tablets can be used to perform an array of activities, such as surfing the internet, taking notes, and playing games. For instance, in 2022, over 40 percent of Italians used tablet to access the internet.
