Ka pai! Android and Windows tablets find favour in ANZ market

Research has found growth in the Australia and New Zealand tablet market has sky rocketed thanks to Android and Windows tablets.

The ANZ tablet market saw 147% growth in the first quarter of this year with a total of 1.14 million units shipped.

This growth was helped along by a leap in demand for smaller, cheaper Android and Windows tablets, research firm International Data Corporation (IDC) said.

Android tablets in the ANZ market had a market share of 36 per cent in the first quarter of this year, compared with 26 per cent in the fourth quarter of last year and up from 18 per cent in the first quarter of 2012.

iPads were still king at 56 per cent market share, but this was a drop from 69 per cent in the previous quarter and a considerable dip from the first quarter of 2012 which saw 80 per cent market share.

Windows tablets, including Windows 7,8 and RT, saw 8 per cent market share in the first quarter of this year, compared with 6 per cent last quarter and 1 per cent in the first quarter of 2012.

Better access to tablets

Customers had better access to a wide range of tablets, from low to high-end, running on different operating systems, then they did last year, IDC ANZ Infrastructure Research Group associate market analyst Suzanne Tai said.

“In 2012, an user would usually choose between an Apple iPad or a Samsung Galaxy Tab but now, a year later, brands like ASUS, Acer, and Microsoft would also appear on the user’s radar.”

Samsung’s promotions and channel strategies had helped Android grow its foothold in the market, and Windows tablets were gaining traction with new models and use in commercial sectors, particularly education, Tai said.

IDC said the ANZ tablet market was expected to grow 46 per cent in 2013 compared with last year, thanks to new tablets on offer, increasing uptake of tablets and increasing demand as prices dropped, as well as the decline in PC use.

In addition, IDC expected to see Windows and Android tablets steal market share from iOS tablets this year.

For those in the Southern Hemisphere, expect to see more price competition, particularly as the likes of HP and ASUS introduced cheap Android tablets to compete with the whitebox market.

“And let’s not forget the entry of Microsoft Surface Pro into the ANZ market in May 2013. This is bound to spark fierce battles among tablet vendors.”