BEIJING, Nov. 22 (Xinhua) -- China's tablet computer shipments reached around 6.9 million units during the third quarter (Q3), surging 21.7 percent year on year, according to an industrial report.

This surge marks the highest growth rate since 2014, according to the report from the global market intelligence firm International Data Corporation.

"Out of stock" was the norm across retailers in Q3 thanks to booming online education and strong demand for entertainment in the global market amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

China's tech giant Huawei continued to lead the market with a 37.7-percent market share by shipping 2.6 million units in the period.

Apple ranked second with 2.59 million shipments, followed by Lenovo and Microsoft with shipments of 320,000 units and 170,000 units, respectively, the report said.