In the absence of new Apple products, tablets shipped to Apple - the major client taking up nearly 70% of Taiwan makers' tablet shipments - witnessed a 38% sequential decline in the first quarter of 2014, to approximately 16 million units. Declining tablet shipments for Apple, coupled with fewer new offerings waiting in the pipeline for launch, Taiwan makers' tablet shipment volume totaled 22.8 million units in the first quarter of 2014, down roughly 40% compared to the fourth quarter of 2013, according to MIC.

Shipment value of the Taiwan tablet industry stood at around US$4.7 billion in the first quarter of 2014, down 46.6% sequentially. Due to the slackened first-quarter shipment volume coupled with the declining shipments for Apple products that often have higher ASPs, tablet ASP slipped 10% sequentially to US$207 in the first quarter of 2014, said MIC.