Apple's iPad shipments are expected to drop to only 10-12 million units in the third quarter, down from the company's announced 14.6 million units in the second quarter due to consumers waiting for the company to release its next-generation iPad and iPad mini, according to sources from the upstream supply chain.

　　Apple's iPad shipments in the second quarter dropped from 19.5 million units in the first to 14.6 million units. Of second-quarter shipments, 10-11 million units were iPad minis and 3.6-4.6 million units were 9.7-inch iPads, the sources estimated.

　　In addition to seasonal factors and lacking new products, Android-based tablet price-cut promotions also affected Apple's iPad shipments in the second quarter. In the first quarter, global tablet shipments were about 50 million units, with Android-based tablets accounting for 27.8 million units, a share of about 50% and iPads accounting for about 40%.

　　In the second quarter, iPad's share is estimated to have dropped to about 30-35%.

　　Since Apple's new iPad products will not be released until September at the earliest, unless the company decides to offer price cuts, the US-based vendor is expected to face fierce competition in the tablet market in the third quarter.