Australian Tablet Sales Exceeded 1 Million Units in the First Half of 2012

Published on: 4th Sep 2012

­The Australian media tablet market grew 188 percent year-on-year in the first half of 2012 and is on track to reach 2.37 million units sold by the end of the calendar year, according to a new study released today by analyst firm, Telsyte.

Telsyte estimates that the population penetration of media tablets is currently around 15 percent and is set to double to 30 percent in 2013. More than half the population is forecast to be using a media tablet by 2016, an uptake rate comparable to smartphone penetration today.

"Media tablets are a rapidly growing opportunity for vendors and media organisations. Within four years half the population will be relying on such a device for a lot of their computing needs, covering education, entertainment, productivity and other applications," Telsyte research director, Foad Fadaghi, says.

The market is being shaped by three main trends: price competition; global litigation; and growing mainstream user adoption.

Price competition is being facilitated by a range of new affordable models, including the recently released Google Nexus 7 (produced by Asus). These devices typically come without 3G or 4G radios making them less costly to produce. Telsyte also anticipates that Apple will release a smaller form iPad in the second half of 2012 to address the changing market opportunity. Similarly, Microsoft's Windows 8 Surface RT tablets are expected to be competitively priced when released later this year.

Wi-Fi-only media tablets are also growing in popularity with home usage emerging as the primary usage destination.

The market leader remains Apple, and Telsyte estimates its share will remain around three quarters of the market for at least the next 12 months.

 

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