Third quarter tablet sales exploded with the iPad still leading the pack, according to the latest research from the IDC research group (http://www.idc.com).

During the three-month period that ended Sept. 30, 18.1 million tablets were shipped globally. That’s a 23.9% over the previous quarter and a 264.5% increase over the year-ago quarter.

IDC says Apple shipped 11.1 million tablet units. The iPad has 61.5 % of the tablet market. Samsung’s tablet products accounted for 5.6% of tablet sales.