New 9.7-inch Apple iPad Air shipments were higher than originally expected, outpacing 7.9-inch iPad mini, which were ranked first in the first three quarters of 2013. Sales of Apple 9.7-inch iPads increased, accounting for 40% of total Apple iPad sales in the fourth quarter.

In the Android camp, sales of Kindle Fire continued to remain brisk and the fourth-quarter sales alone accounted for about 50% of total Amazon sales in 2013. This had led to a significant rise in shipment volume of the Taiwanese tablet industry in the fourth quarter of 2013.

Looking at shipment value, Taiwan's tablet industry reached about US$88.19 million in the fourth quarter of 2013, up 84% sequentially. Driven by the soaring shipment volume and the increasing share of high-to-mid-end tablets of Apple, Amazon and ASUS, tablet ASP (Average Selling Price) increased 9.5% sequentially in the fourth quarter of 2013, reaching US$230.

Apple, though experiencing a slipping market share, continues to have a dominant share in Taiwanese tablet shipments, keeping an average mark over 65%. Fuelled by Apple's high-priced strategy, tablet ASP in the fourth quarter of 2013 also increased as a result.

Figure I: Taiwanese Tablet Shipment Volume, 1Q 2011 - 4Q 2014 (Source: MIC, March 2014)