New Delhi, Feb 2 (IANS): Detachable tablets broadened their presence in the fourth quarter of 2020 as the emphasis on productivity, flexibility, and ease of use was greater than ever before, with shipments for detachable tablets growing 27.9 per cent during the quarter, the IDC said on Tuesday.

Both Microsoft and Apple helped push the form factor with their respective products.

Additionally, backlogs for PCs led some consumers to purchase these detachable tablets in place of notebooks.

Meanwhile, slate tablets also grew 13.7 per cent during the quarter as consumers sought ways to stay entertained, according to preliminary data from the IDC's Worldwide Quarterly Personal Computing Device Tracker.

"Unprecedented demand in the consumer and education segments due to work from home and online learning has undoubtedly led to the resurgence in tablet demand," said Anuroopa Nataraj, research analyst with IDC's Worldwide Quarterly Personal Computing Device Tracker.

"However, the category is not expected to retain this momentum in the long term as it still faces immense competition from notebooks and smartphones," she added.

The worldwide tablet market had an outstanding fourth quarter with 19.5 per cent (year-over-year) growth and shipments totaling 52.2 million units.

Impacted by the pandemic, the tablet market reached shipment levels not seen since the fourth quarter of 2017 when the total was 49.9 million.

Apple once again led the tablet market with 36.5 per cent market share and year-over-year growth of 19.5 per cent during 4Q20.

Samsung retained second place with 19.4 per cent share and exceptional year-over-year growth of 44.9% per cent. The company shipped 10.1 million units in the quarter and 31.3 million units for 2020.

Lenovo captured the third spot with global shipments of 5.6 million units and 120.6 per cent year-over-year growth in the fourth quarter.