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Apple shipped 12.6 million tablets in the third quarter (Q3), with a modest growth of 1.4 per cent year-over-year in the quarter and garnering 31.7 per cent market share, as global tablet shipments grew 20.4 per cent to reach 39.6 million units. 

Back-to-school season helped boost sales for the newly launched iPad Air model, according to an IDC report.

At second place, Samsung shipped 7.1 million units with 17.9 per cent market share. In Q3, their low-end Galaxy A9 models drove their sales across most regions. Commercial deployments also played a key role in driving shipments for Samsung.

A handful of device refreshes occurred during the recent quarters, and active channel filings were undertaken in preparation for major promotional events and the holiday season, according to the IDC report.

“Not surprising to anyone, AI is becoming increasingly integrated into the tablet market, but outside of the Surface led Windows detachable Co-Pilot+ marketing, the remainder is early days at best,” it added.

Regardless, these innovations bring a wave of much needed optimism in the tablet market, piquing consumer interest, and potentially higher average selling prices (ASPs).

Amazon.com was back in the top 5 and secured the third position in Q3 with a shipment of 4.6 million units and year-over-year growth of 111.3 per cent. Their market share also increased by 6 percentage points (11.6 per cent share).

“Recent innovations in AI have begun to attract consumers willing to pay a premium price." said Anuroopa Nataraj, senior research analyst with IDC's Mobility and Consumer Device Trackers. "As AI features and applications grow, more consumers will prioritise these advanced capabilities in their next purchase.”

Lenovo moved down to the fifth position this quarter. Still, the company’s sales grew by 14.7 per cent year over year with 3 million shipment units.