48.7m tablets were shipped in Q3 2015, down 12.6 per cent year-on-year, according to IDC.

This is the fourth consecutive quarter where tablet shipments have dropped, with markets like North America, Western Europe, and Asia-Pacific reaching maturity.

“We continue to get feedback that tablet users are holding onto devices upwards of four years,” said Ryan Reith, program director with IDCs Worldwide Quarterly Mobile Device Trackers. “We believe the traditional slate tablet has a place in the personal computing world. However, as the smartphone installed base continues to grow and the devices get bigger and more capable, the need for smaller form factor slate tablets becomes less clear. With shipment volumes slowing over four consecutive quarters, the market appears to be in transition.”

Lenovo was the only one of the top five tablet manufacturer to see an increase in shipments during the quarter, up 147.9 per cent year-on-year – though its worth noting that this growth is from a relatively low base of 700,000.

While Apple maintained the top spot this quarter, iPad shipments dropped 19.7 per cent to 9.9m – though IDC predicts that the forthcoming iPad Pro could help turn sales back around.  Second biggest manufacturer Samsung saw a drop of 17.1 per cent, to 9.7m shipments, and third biggest Lenovo saw its previously fast growth slow to just 0.9 per cent this quarter, with 3.1m shipments.