NEW YORK (AP) -- A research firm says worldwide shipments of tablet computers have slowed down because Apple hasn't released a new model of its trend-setting iPad.
IDC says tablet shipments totaled 45.1 million units in the April-June period, down nearly 10 percent from the first three months of 2013. The second-quarter total is up nearly 60 percent from a year ago, a sign that the market is still growing.
Tom Mainelli, a research director at IDC, says a new iPad "always piques consumer interest in the tablet category and traditionally that has helped both Apple and its competitors."
Apple normally releases a new iPad in the spring, but has moved to fall launches. Although rivals have released new tablets, IDC says they didn't get the spillover boost that a new iPad would've provided.