Worldwide tablet shipments have increased by 142.4% year over year to 49.2 million in the first quarter of 2013, according to a report from the International Data Corporation (IDC).
Apple led the tablet market with sales of 19.5 million, reporting 65.3% growth compared to the same period in 2012, representing a 39.6% of the market share.
Apple was followed by Samsung, which shipped 8.8 million units, reporting a growth 282.6% and 17.9% market share.
IDC Tablets research director Tom Mainelli said that the continuous demand for the iPad mini and increasingly strong commercial shipments led to a better-than expected first quarter for Apple.
"In addition, by moving the iPad launch to the fourth quarter of 2012, Apple seems to have avoided the typical first-quarter slowdown that traditionally occurred when consumers held off buying in January and February in anticipation of a new product launch in March," Mainelli added.
With 2.7 million shipments ASUS occupied the third position with market share of 5.5%, which was driven by the demand for the highly marketed Nexus 7 device.
Microsoft shipped about 0.9 million units including its its Surface RT and Surface Pro tablets for the quarter, while the Windows 8 and Windows RT tablets registered a combined sales of 1.8 million units for the period.
IDC’s Mobility Tracker programme manager Ryan Reith said that the recent rumours have circulated about the possibility of smaller screen Windows RT and Windows 8 tablets hitting the market.
"However, the notion that this will be the saving grace is flawed. Clearly the market is moving toward smart 7-8 inch devices, but Microsoft’s larger challenges centre around consumer messaging and lower cost competition," Reith added.
"If these challenges are addressed, along with the desired screen size variations, then we could see Microsoft make even further headway in 2013 and beyond."
