Overall tablet sales in the Australian market are continuing to decline despite the emergence of the convertible 2-in-1 segment, technology analyst firm Telsyte has found.Convertible 2-in-1 devices “are taking the personal computing market by storm”, with Telsyte expecting sales to triple from more than 500,000 this year to nearly 1.5 million in 2017.
Meanwhile, the tablet market is down 16 per cent year-on-year, with 1.5 million units sold in the first half.
Apple iOS devices retained market leadership with a 48 per cent market share, while Android devices, with a 38 per cent market share (down 4 per cent), conceded market share to Windows-based devices, making up 14 per cent of the market (up 4 per cent) .
Telsyte believes Microsoft is now the third largest player after Apple and Samsung in the Australian tablet market.
“The tablet market has been impacted by larger-screen smartphones and buyers seeking greater functionality from their next tablet purchase,” Telsyte managing director Foad Fadaghi commented.
“Windows-based tablets and 2-in-1s will benefit from an upgrade cycle that started with the arrival of Windows 10 and is expected to continue into 2017.”
Amid the growth of the 2-in-1 segment, Telsyte expects competition will intensify between professional devices suitable for workplace applications, such as the Surface Pro 4 and iPad Pro, with the arrival of these devices forecast to help to boost sales in the second half to 1.8 million units.
Telsyte estimates there were 13.7 million tablet users in Australia as of the end of June, with new user growth expected to mainly come from those under 16 years of age and those above 65, given market saturation in most other age groups.
