Due to weak tablet demand in the market, the supply chain estimate that shipments for Apple iPad products will be down over 20% on year in 2015.

Despite new products from Apple in 2015 including newly revised 7.9-inch units and a reported 12.9-inch iPad, shipments for iPads are expected to continue declining due to increased demand for large-size smartphones.

Due to declining shipments for the 9.7-inch unit in particular, supply chain makers such as Radiant Optoelectronics saw revenues drop 37.2% sequentially in the first quarter of 2015, which also represented a 24.9% on-year decrease.

Coretronic also saw shipments for tablet products drop 35% on quarter during the first quarter while touch panel maker TPK saw an overall 67% decline for tablet products, down from 10 million in the previous quarter to around three million.

Sources from the supply chain noted that related suppliers are shifting their product strategies and shipments to meet expected demand for large-size smartphones and tablets for 2015.

Digitimes research meanwhile noted that global tablet shipments are expected to reach 49.31 million in the second quarter of 2015, up 0.2% on quarter and down 10% on year.