Samsung has lost considerable market share in the smartphone world over the last year, something that has been well documented. The company's slide is only really put into perspective when you see individual countries in isolation and Sammy has lost huge ground in key markets such as China, South Korea, and Japan. However, it seems the company's troubles in these important huge regions are not specific to smartphones.

HTC rolled out its first full tablet last year, the problem is, the Nexus 9 is more associated with Google and Android than it is the Taiwanese company. That's because HTC produces the table to fly Google's Nexus banner. However, the smartphone maker is going to enter the slate market on its own two feet in 2015 using the Nexus 9 as a blueprint, according to reports.

Right from the start you can color us sceptical about the following news, but it seems someone on Chinese social network Weibo has leaked the specs and even an image of the upcoming iPad Air Pro. Apple's oft rumored large version of its all-conquering iPad is thought to be nearing the end of development for a launch sometime this year and these are apparently the specs.

Microsoft's Surface Pro 3 has had some ups and downs, but it seems as though the tablet is enjoying a bit of a surge right now. Microsoft has reported that it shifted a sizeable amount of Surface Pro during its fiscal Q2 2015 (Q4 2014 calendar).

Former Apple Supremo Steve Jobs left a huge impact on the company and the tech world. So much so that when Apple goes against one of his ethos, the company is lambasted as if it should hang on every word Jobs said. A great example of this is the fact that Jobs was not particularly enamoured with the idea of a large screen stylus packing device, something Apple are now going to make this year.

You may remember last year that Samsung's 2014 tablet line up leaked early. History has repeated itself as the 2015 range of slates from the Korean company has also landed before any of the products launch.

A new LG tablet has been found on the listings at the FCC, the US body that passes products for sale in the country. The model number LG LK430 gives way to the description of "potable tablet" and the device seems to be well connected with Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.0 LE, and interestingly Cat. 4 LTE 4G. According to the listing the new slate is destined for US carrier Sprint.

HP has quietly launched a new tablet on its website, opting not to reveal the device at next week's CES trade show in Las Vegas. That's because the HP Pro Tablet 408 G1 is not a particularly exciting slate and the PC giant is gearing it towards enterprise users and not general consumers. That's not to say you can't buy it, and it's arguably better than the company?s HP Stream 8.

Apple's iPad Air 2 is the best tablet on the market, and no I am not an Apple die-hard in the slightest (as my Android smartphone will attest). However, the Air 2 sets the standard in terms of getting the most things right, but even this amazing slate is lacking something. It, and indeed a multitude of Android tablets cannot offer the kind of productivity offered by Windows 8.1 tablets that rock a full PC OS.

There have been widespread reports that Apple will make a large screen iPad next year, while Samsung already has a "Pro" slate, but another company may be joining this growing niche. Sony is reportedly entering the fray with its own oversized tablet, a device that will be launched in 2015.