India tablet market to grow 100%

The India tablet PC market is expected to grow by at least 100% in 2013, according to CyberMedia Research (CMR). The market recorded sales of 1.1 million units in Q32012 and the research firm estimates the market to close at 3 million units in 2012.

The key drivers for growth in 2013 are the new launches by OEMs who are eyeing the Indian consumers, increased adoption of the tablets by the enterprise segment and the recent release of Windows 8-based tablets.

Faisal Kawoosa, lead analyst, CMR Telecoms Practice said, "To my mind two key developments are going to change the India media tablets market significantly - one is the availability of Windows 8 -based devices and the adoption of tablets by enterprises for real business applications."

While in Q32012, Samsung led the market with 23.9 percent share followed by Micromax with 15.3 percent and Datawind with 12.3 percent share in sales, 2013 will witness major change in rankings with increasing expectations of the consumers, and price correction and new launches from global players.

"During Q42012 and through 2013, we expect to see a change in the rankings, with global leaders like Apple and Google coming into their own, especially after the launch of the Apple Mini and Google Nexus range of media tablets, respectively. These new devices closely match the media tablets already available from other leading OEMs in India, in terms of specifications and price levels. So it will be interesting to watch if buyers go for other MNC brands or whether Samsung is able to retain its loyalty," said Tarun Pathak, analyst, CMR Telecoms Practice.

According to CMR, there could be some cleansing in the market for sub-Rs 5,000 tablets. 2013 is likely to see some of the players in this segment closing shop due to lack of market acceptability and increasing expectations of consumers, where these devices are bound to fail.

The research firm informed that average sales value of tablets in India during Q32012 was approximately Rs 13,200, while 63.5% of all sales were below the Rs 10,000-mark.

2013 will see markets crystallize around three price points: Rs 5,000-10,000; Rs 15,000-20,000 and over Rs 35,000. Some vendors might have to undertake price corrections to fit their devices within these three price segments, to serve the market aptly and participate in these high-volume deals.