Total global shipments of branded tablets reached 41.3 million in the first quarter of 2014, as Samsung continued to close the gap with Apple. According to ABI Research, the two vendors accounted for a combined 71 per cent of total shipments, with Apple shipping 16.4 million units and Samsung 13 million. ASUS was the third largest tablet vendor with shipments of 2.1 million in the first quarter. The mix of tablet operating systems is also showing signs of stability with only minor changes in shipment share, ABI Research noted. Android continues to lead new tablet shipments at 56.3 per cent in the first quarter of 2014, followed by iOS at 39.6 per cent and Windows 8/RT at 4.1 per cent with an accuracy of +/- 3 per cent due to vendors yet to report. The first three months of the year remain a seasonal low-point for tablets as with other computing and CE markets. Release