The global tablet market has fallen to its lowest point in three years, dropping 16 percent to 35 million devices shipped in the second quarter of 2016, according to research firm Canalys.
Android devices fared the worst, with shipments dropping 23 percent, while Apple increased its market share to 28 percent with 9.8 million tablets shipped.
Samsung came in second with 6 million units, followed by Lenovo in third and Huawei in fourth with just over two million units shipped each.
Canalys research analyst Wilmer Ang said competition from smartphones and convertible two-in-one devices had brought down tablet sales in the consumer market.
"Top-tier brands Dell, HP and Sony have all but given up in this [tablet] space, while the likes of Huawei, Lenovo and Samsung try to leverage their brands and premium designs to hold on to higher price points," said Ang.
However, Ang said there was a bright future in the enterprise tablet market, with Microsoft's Surface Pro and Apple's iPad Pro proving there is a growing market for detachable tablets.
"We are not going to see B2B demand propel tablet shipments to the heights of previous quarters. But the ongoing transition to Windows 10 and the arrival of multitasking in Android Nougat should provide an opportunity for vendors to capitalise on selling tablets and their associated services to businesses."
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