Digitimes Research's latest report about global tablets shows that global tablet shipments are expected to stay flat from a quarter ago and reach 49.31 million units in the second quarter of 2015.

Compared to the same quarter a year ago, the volume will drop to 10 per cent but Apple's iPad shipments are expected to decline to 9.8 million units, down 30 per cent.

Instead Apple and its kind are being replaced by Chinese white-box players such as Wintel China Technology Ecosystem's (CTE) 2-in-1 solution.

The report said that non-Apple vendors' shipments will reach around 19 million units in the second quarter, about the same level as the first quarter because Samsung Electronics has shifted its mass shipment schedule from the first quarter to the second. This will help Samsung close the gap with Apple.

Lenovo's MediaTek-based inexpensive tablet has also started mass shipments in the second quarter. Asustek is expected to see shipments decline in the quarter because of reduced subsidies from Intel and issues with the CPU giant's SoFIA 3G-R.

Taiwan tablet shipments will drop below 15 million units in the second quarter because of the shipment decline of iPads, and Taiwan brand vendors' weak performance, causing their combined share in worldwide shipments to drop.