Global tablet shipments reached 51.7 million units in the second quarter of 2013, according to research from Strategy Analytics. That was up 43 percent on the 36.1 million sold in the same quarter last year
Android secured a robust 67 percent market share, while Apple iOS declined further to 28 percent. Windows also fell back but secured a 4.5 percent global share.
Among new vendors set to enter the Australian tablet market this month is Chinese brands Hisense and Huawei with both Companies launching 7″ models.
The 7-inch Hisence Sero tablet has a 1280×800 IPS display, a quad-core Tegra 3 processor, a microSD slot and a 5MP rear camera.
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The Sero also includes a mini-HDMI port, near-field communications (NFC), Bluetooth 3.0 and, of course, a 2MP front-facing camera. Hisense will be including remote-control software on the tablet, so Hisense TV owners can use the device as a controller.
Of the total, some 36.2 million units were branded tablets, up 47 percent from 24.6 million in Q2 last year. The rest were unbranded or “white box” tablets
“Android is now making steady progress due to hardware partners like Samsung, Amazon, Google and white-box tablets which, despite the fact that branded OEMs are lowering price-points and putting pressure on the white-box manufacturers, are still performing well,” said analyst Peter King.
He put part of the blame for Apple’s decline on the lack of any new large-screen tablets in the past year.
