Tablet shipments in the first quarter of this year totalled 49.2 million units, eclipsing the total for the entire first half of 2012.
Research from the International Data Corporation (IDC) also found Apple, which historically experiences a steep drop in first quarter shipments, had a smoother ride this year.
“Sustained demand for the iPad mini and increasingly strong commercial shipments led to a better-than expected first quarter for Apple,” said Tom Mainelli, research director, tablets at the IDC.
Number two vendor Samsung also performed above expectations, growing its shipments over the fourth quarter as more of the company’s smaller-sized tablets began to gain traction in the market.
ASUS managed to move into third place, as it continued to see decent demand from the highly marketed Nexus 7 device, while Amazon slipped to fourth, which the IDC attributed to a highly seasonal product cycle.
