Tablet Shipments Fall For Third Straight Quarter

The worldwide tablet market declined 7% year-over-year in the second quarter, the third straight quarter of declines in an industry dominated by Apple Inc.'s iPad, according to industry tracker IDC. Tablet shipments totaled 44.7 million units, a decrease of 3.9% from the quarter prior, according to IDC's preliminary data. "We're seeing a profound shift in the vendor landscape as the top two vendors, Apple and Samsung, lose share in the overall market," said Jean Philippe Bouchard, IDC Research Director for Tablets. Both Apple and Samsung Electronics lost share of the market during the quarter, with Apple's dropping to 24.5% of the market compared with 27.7% last year, and Samsung's declining to 17% from 18%. IDC blamed the decline on "little hardware innovation" and limited vendor portfolio updates.