A new study shows the demand for media tablets in Australia is growing, leading market research firm Telsyte to increase its forecasts for the sector to almost 1.2 million units in 2011.
This follows news that Media Tablet unit sales for the first five months of this year have already exceeded 2010 figures.
With Telstra’s recent acquisition of AFL media rights on mobile devices, there’s also a growing market opportunity to stream video content on media tablets, and Telsyte estimates up to 30 percent of Aussie Tablet owners may be willing to pay for streaming live content.
Foad Fadaghi, research director at the firm, says: “Although many PC and hardware vendors have been holding off releasing products in the first half of this year, most are now quickly launching products to meet the shift in demand from PCs to tablets.”
While Apple has cemented its position as the market leader with the launch of the iPad 2 earlier this year, Telsyte expects the iOS to retain 71 percent of market share, with Android, QNX and WebOS making up the rest of the market.
However, the research firm says while Android devices are likely to lead in features such as cameras, quad core processors, 3D video and more connectivity options, the OS will lag in terms of applications for at least the next 12 months.
It says Android manufacturers will need to cut unit prices dramatically in order to be able to compete more effectively against Apple.
As for Microsoft’s Windows 8 Tablet, Telsyte says its expected launch in 2012 will be “too little too late”.
Shedding more light on Aussie user patterns, Telsyte also believes consumers prefer a shared cap between smartphones and tablets rather than standalone table plans offered by telcos.
Currently the majority of users on 3G-enabled tablets prefer to connect via pre-paid SIMs when outside of a WiFi zone, according to the research firm, which says it believes a shared cap approach for carriers will encourage loyalty and allow for the effective up selling of data services.
Telsyte’s study covers 30 companies including: ABC, Acer, Apple, Asus, Avaya, Cisco, Dell, Google, Fairfax, Fujitsu, HP, HTC, Huawei, Lenovo, LG, Microsoft, Motorola, News Limited, NEC, Optus, RIM, Samsung, Sensis, Sony, Telstra, Toshiba, VHA, Viewsonic and ZTE.
