New Delhi, May 31 (UNI) According to the latest International Data Corporation (IDC) Quarterly Personal Computing Device Tracker, 701,000 tablets were shipped in India in the first quarter (Q1) of 2017 registering a drop of 2.2 percent from 716,000 units in the previous quarter. Tablet shipments in the consumer segment also declined 28 percent in Q1 2017 compared to the same period last year and resulted in a sharp 18.6 percent year-on-year (YoY) drop in total tablet shipments in India. IDC report said that the commercial segment accounted for one-third of total tablet shipments in India. According to Celso Gomes, Associate Market Analyst, Client Devices, IDC India, "The commercial segment is the key driver for offsetting the declining consumer shipments in India. Due to growing digital proliferation across industries, commercial segment especially large enterprise, government and education sectors, are expected to increase their demand for tablets. This will drive vendors to focus more aggressively in gaining market share in the commercial market to sustain the India tablet market." Tablets with 4G based connectivity accounted for around 39.2 per cent in Q1 2017, up from 15.3 percent from Q1 2016. For the first time in recent years, the share of 7to 7.9 inch tablets dipped to 70 percent in Q1 2017 whereas 8 to 8.9 inch tablets contributed to 12.3 percent of the total tablet shipments in Q1 2017, up from 8.9 per cent in Q1 2016, primarily driven by consumer segment. Shipments of 10 inch plus tablets were up by 43 percent YoY in Q1 2017 to account for 11.6 percent of market share. Detachable tablets still account for a nominal share of the total tablet market, driven primarily by the consumer segment. Acer continued to dominate this product category, followed by Apple's iPad Pro. Tablets sold through online channels accounted for 35 percent of the total tablet shipments in Q1 2017. UNI ADP RSA SNU 1512