Tablet sales continued to wane in the second quarter of 2015, “with no reason to believe that growth will return in the short term”, according to Canalys.

Shipments fell by 11 per cent year-on-year to 42.5 million units, with decreases in every worldwide region.

The research firm said that sales in high-growth markets have been impacted as large-screen smartphones gain ground. And tablets are also having to compete with a “new wave of two-in-one devices” designed to run Windows 10.

“‘Despite the sudden downturn in shipments, tablets are certainly here to stay. Yes, they have matured and commoditized quickly, but there are still opportunities for vendors to profit from the category,” said Tim Coulling, senior analyst.

“The top five countries (US, China, UK, Japan and Brazil) accounted for half the world’s tablet shipments and Apple led in all but one, Brazil. It is well placed to continue leading the market for the time being,” he continued.