Global tablet shipments have reached 51.7m units in the second quarter of 2013, according to a new report from Strategy Analytics.
The document reveals that Google’s Android operating system captured about 67% of the global market share, while Apple iOS plunged to 28%.
Shipments of branded tablets rose 47% during the quarter to 36.2m units, compared to 24.6m shipped during the corresponding quarter in 2012.
Strategy Analytics director of tablets Peter King said the branded tablet market had a rest period as very few new products came to market during the quarter.
"When we add in white-box tablets [those without a well-known brand name], shipments reached 51.7m units, up 43% from 36.1m in Q2 2012," King said.
"Android is now making steady progress due to hardware partners like Samsung, Amazon, Google and white-box tablets which, despite the fact that branded original equipment manufacturers are lowering price-points and putting pressure on the white-box manufacturers, are still performing well."
In contrast, Apple iOS shipments totalled 14.6m iPads in the second quarter of 2013, a 14% drop on the same period last year.
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Microsoft Windows OS secured a 4.5% global share during the quarter, while the report projects that Windows RT shipments may rise during Q3 following price reductions.
