Do you pay a premium price for a branded Acer or Asus Android tablet? Or do you go out and buy an unbranded product for 50 percent less than a branded product?
According to a new report, unbranded tablet sales are booming, with retailers across Australia witnessing strong sales as consumers realise there is little difference between a branded product and an unbranded product sold at stores like Dick Smith Aldi and Big W – for up to half the price that a branded tablet sells for.
Ironically, the unbranded products are often made in the same factories as the branded products.
A new IHS report reveals that unbranded tablet shipments are expected to increase by 6 percent this year, totalling 262 million, up from the 246 million originally forecast. Year-on-year shipments are already up 69 percent, from the 155 million shipped in 2012.
White-box tablet makers bought 40 percent of all tablet panels in April, Park said, up from 17 percent during the first quarter of 2012.
Shipments of eight and 9-inch displays are now the sweet spot for the category, increasing 200 percent year-on-year for 2013. IHS sees the 8-inch screen size dominating this year. These accounted for 11 percent of all displays shipped in April, aided by the recent introduction of 8-inch tablets by Samsung and Acer.
In contrast, the 9- to 11-inch size tablet shipments declined by 5 percent. However, Park sees a bright spot for larger size tablets. He believes sales and shipments will pick up with the introduction of the Intel new Bay Trail Atom processor, that is designed specifically for tablets.
Ricky Park, IHS’s senior manager for large-area displays, says: “Several companies are producing massive quantities of low-end tablets that appeal to consumers.”.
