SAN MATEO, CA – Worldwide tablet shipments grew to 47.6 million units in the third quarter of 2013, up 36.7% year-over-year, and up 7% sequentially, says International Data Corp.

Android products drove much of the shipment growth, as iOS growth stalled and Windows tablets continued to struggle, the firm says.

With no new iPad product launches in the second or third quarter to drive volume, Apple experienced a sequential decline in shipments of 3.4%, to 14.1 million in the third quarter.

Year-over-year, iPad shipments grew less than 1%, says IDC. Apple's slowing growth has caused the company's tablet market share to slip to 29.6%, its lowest share to date.

However, with the new iPad Air shipping Nov. 1 and the refreshed iPad mini with Retina scheduled to roll out later in November, IDC expects Apple to enjoy shipment growth during the fourth quarter.

“With two 7.9" models starting at $299 and $399, and two 9.7" models starting at $399 and $499, Apple is taking steps to appeal to multiple segments,” said Jitesh Ubrani, research analyst with IDC's tablet tracker. “Both Google and Amazon increased the price of their newest 7" tablets from $199 to $229 to cover the higher costs associated with high-resolution screens and better processors.”

Samsung once again secured the second position with shipments of about 9.7 million units, grabbing 20.4% of the worldwide market.

ASUS, which makes the Nexus 7 for Google, shipped about 3.5 million total units during the quarter for a third place finish and 7.4% market share.

PC powerhouse Lenovo moved into the number four tablet spot with shipments of 2.3 million units and a 4.8% share.

Finally, Acer rounded out the top five with 1.2 million units shipped and a 2.5% share.

Notably, vendors from outside the top five were responsible for over one-third of the shipments in the third quarter.

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