Memory Crisis Could Hurt New iPad Sales in 2026

Apple's dominance in the iPad market could be disrupted by a memory crisis (photo: dok. Apple)

Apple ended 2025 with its dominance in the tablet market. The company managed to sell 19.6 million units in the last quarter, but this figure may be difficult to achieve in 2026.

Currently, the industry is facing a major challenge due to the threat of a global memory crisis. This problem is also expected to affect the iPad so that Apple will have difficulty surpassing sales in the last quarter of last year.

Based on Omdia's report, as reported via 9to5mac, Apple's market share rose to 44.9 percent at the end of last year. This figure puts Apple far ahead of its competitors such as Samsung, Huawei, and Xiaomi.

The high shipment rate in the last quarter of last year was actually triggered by a vendor strategy that carried out massive pre-production. This step was taken to anticipate the supply constraints of memory components, as predicted by experts.

However, this strategy is not expected to last long. Analysts warn that component shortages will put pressure on global tablet availability throughout the year.

"Seasonal demand during the holidays, combined with pre-production activity ... provided a significant increase in shipments in the last quarter. However, tablet demand will be increasingly depressed," said Himani Mukka, Research Manager at Omdia, quoted on Thursday, February 5.

Apple and other manufacturers must now find new strategies for managing their device stocks amid uncertainty in memory supplies. If the crisis continues, consumers may face higher prices or longer delivery wait times for the latest iPad models.