iPad, Android, 7 inches, Wifi: a whopping 2.4 million tablets sold last year
 |
| iPad still tab leader, but Android “halo effect” increasing |
And this looks set to explode as the number of Aussie tab users is set to grow by 50 per cent in 2013 to 7.5 million.
And there could soon be as many smartphone owners as tablets in OZ by 2017, Telsyte estimates.
The local analysts also predict smaller 7- 9-inch tablets like the iPad mini and Samsung Tab to exceed sales of 10-inch devices by 2014, a trend we’re seeing with the rise of the phablet like Galaxy Note.
At the end of 2012, more than 5 million people in Australia were using tablets.
Apple’s commanding share declined slightly due to the “flood” of cheaper Androids from the likes of Samsung, Acer, and Asus, all challenging the iPad’s reign.
However the iPad mini released in November helped prop up Apple’s marketshare, temporarily, at least.
“The growth of Android in the smartphone market is also creating a halo-effect for media tablets with consumers increasingly comfortable with the platform,” Telsyte analyst Foad Fadaghi says.
Good news also for new kid on the block Microsoft – Windows 8 tablets are expected to grow “steadily” with business users, Gen Y and those looking to ditch aging laptops.
“Low cost and smaller form factor media tablets, typically without cellular connectivity, are shaping the market,” says Fadaghi.
There is also a greater appetite for WiFi-only devices – as the home has emerged as the main location for tablet usage, while the popularity of 3G/4G tabs dropped last year.
More users are looking for ‘occasional’ smartphone tethering when outside the house, only.
Business As Usual
Tablets are also encouraging an ecommerce boom in Oz, say the local analysts
A massive 50% of all tab users had purchased a product or service via their devices last year.
Some categories are approaching similar rates of ecommerce uptake as on computers, such as event tickets and travel related purchases and Telsyte expects this to continue as more shopping and catalogue apps are released in 2013.
“The explosion in commercial transactions on media tablets highlights the importance of a multi-screen strategy for digital advertisers and retailers,” Fadaghi says.
This tab boom is creating a vibrant digital audience ripe for media and commercial apps, according to Telsyte.
