Apple Ipad tablet
IN PHOTO: An illustration picture shows application icons on an Apple Ipad tablet held by a woman in Bordeaux, Southwestern France, February 4, 2013. Reuters

Cupertino-based tech giant Apple suffered a doubly whammy in the Australian tablet market after tablet sales dipped 28% or 500,000 less units sold for the first six months of 2014 compared to the same period in 2013.

Besides lower sales, tablets running on Android OS outsold Apple's iPad in the country for the first time, representing the second whammy to hit Apple.

A study by Telsyte said 1.8 million media tablets were sold from January to June 2014 in Australia, boosting to 48 per cent the penetration rate of media tablets to 46 per cent or equivalent to 10.8 million people in Australia owning a tablet as of June 30.

The slump came after three years of steady growth of sales. Telsyte explained the decline to the longer upgrade cycles that affected new sales as shoppers place buying decisions on hold until the upgrades are known.

Besides Android, Windows tablets also got a larger share of the Australian market, but Telsyte said the trend would likely be reversed for the last six months of 2014 in favour of Apple. Androids got 47 per cent market share, Apple 46 per cent and Windows-based devices 7 per cent.

Foad Fadaghi, managing director of Telsyte, said that Apple could regain the lead in the Aussie market if it deliver upgraded models and if the halo effect created by the anticipated September launch of the iPhone 6 would materalise.