Apple Inc. (AAPL) is well aware that other companies want to steal its tablet crown. The iPad is top dog right now in a global sense, but there are vendors that have their sights set on the No. 1 spot.

When you take a closer look at the Middle East and Africa (MEA) tablet market, it is easy to see that Apple is in a bit of trouble. Not because it is doing something wrong, but because other companies — including traditional PC vendors — are making moves.

iPad Under Fire

IDC recently examined the MEA tablet market, focusing primarily on the second-quarter results.

Samsung (SSNLF) was the No. 1 vendor in the region, shipping 862,000 units during the second quarter of the year. AAPL came in second place with 622,000 units shipped.

Victoria Mendes, an IDC analyst for the region, had this to say:

“Furthermore, the two tablet giants, Samsung and Apple, saw their combined share fall six percentage points to 37% in Q2 2014, a trend that is expected to continue as consumers increasingly opt for the best of both worlds in terms of price and quality offered by the traditional PC vendors’ new releases.”

It is the traditional PC vendors that are making up ground in this region, with names such as Lenovo and Asus making major waves. For example, Lenovo shipped 420,000 units during the quarter, which is not far off from Apple.

Samsung and Apple both have plans to stem the tide in the year to come, with the 12.2-inch Galaxy Tab Pro (later in 2014) and the 12.9-inch iPad (sometime next year) set to be launched. These launches will give consumers another choice, with both companies hoping that this helps steady the ship.

Apple is not the No. 1 tablet vendor in the MEA tablet market, as Samsung holds this distinction. If Cupertino is not careful, it could find itself slipping into the third spot at some point in the near future.

At the time of publication, Bibey had no positions in the securities mentioned.