According to market intelligence firm ABI Research, the first quarter of 2014 was nothing to brag about for most tablet vendors, experiencing a 30% unit decline, though the market should balance out during the year, as branded OEM shipments will exceed 200 million in 2014.

　　"Tablet hardware sales from branded OEMs are likely to top US$85 billion in 2014," said senior ABI Research practice director Jeff Orr. "We have yet to reach the top of the tablet market, and with many world regions just now starting to adopt, the best is yet to come." Intel aims to make a large splash during 2014 with a projected 40 million devices powered by its processors. ABI Research said it believes a significant portion will come from smaller vendors in China and Taiwan developing next-generation Android tablets during the second half of the year.

　　MediaTek, Qualcomm, Samsung Electronics, and other chipset suppliers are also making in-roads with tablets destined for the Asia-Pacific region. ABI Research said it predicts that China and India combined will represent more than 35% of 2014 shipments in the region. Tablets made in China for China have been a major influence in the white-box segment and pressures are mounting as audiences seek local service and support.

　　Despite the aforementioned shifts in the tablet market, Apple's iPad is expected to remain the leading OEM brand in 2014. Samsung continues to close the gap in second where the duo could represent upwards of 70% of the world's branded tablet shipments by year-end. "Looking back over the past three years of the tablet boom, the leading vendor order has remained largely unchanged," added Orr. "Lenovo is the most obvious standout as it has executed tablet strategy well both in China and abroad."