Shipments of PC tablets into the Middle East and Africa (MEA) increased by 111 per cent year on year in the final quarter of 2013, according to latest figures from IDC. The overall MEA tablet market reached a total of 3.45 million units for the quarter. The Android operating system maintained its lead in the region, with 2.8 million units shipped during the quarter, up 16 per cent on Q3 2013. Apple's iOS, on the other hand, experienced a decline over the same period, as the new iPad mini with retina display and the iPad Air did not take off as well as expected. Windows OS lost considerable share in Q4 2013, experiencing a strong double-digit quarterly decline as vendors placed more focus on Android-based tablets. Samsung maintained its top position in the market for Q4 2013, despite suffering a quarter-on-quarter decline to 742,000 units. Apple followed in second place after shipping a total of 653,000 units. Lenovo upheld its third place, recording a total of 289,000 units. Asus re-entered the top five after shipping a total of 200,000 units, owing mainly to the introduction of new Android-based tablets. Huawei was a new entrant to the top five with a total of 128,000 units. Release