Tablet market in India to reach 7.3 million units by 2015-16

As per estimates provided by the apex body for information technology hardware, Manufacturers Association of IT (MAIT), tablet sales in the country are poised to cross 1.6 million units this year. This would be a 40 percent growth over the last year and notches above the 16 percent growth pitched in for by personal computers, as reported by The Economic Times. MAIT sees tablets emerging as the choice of device for the entertainment and content consumption needs of users. MAIT predicts that the tablet market in the country will grow to 7.3 million units by 2015-16. 

The body in its findings further shared that the average price for a tablet sold in India is about Rs 24,000, and as far as popular platforms go, Apple's iOS, Google's Android, Blackberry come out on the top. 

Tablets are emerging as an entertainment device (Image Credit: Getty Images)

"The tablet market is the new blue-eyed growth opportunity in India. With the introduction of several national and international brands of tablets in India, the market is witnessing a revolution of sorts," said MAIT President Alok Bharadwaj. 

A recent CyberMedia Research report revealed that the number of tablet shipments in the country increased in the second quarter of this year. The increase was 59 percent QoQ (quarter-on-quarter), and a mind-boggling 673 percent YoY (year-on-year). The research report attributes it primarily to the entry of new tablet vendors and the introduction of newer products from existing vendors in the low to medium price segment. 

Among its major findings, the report revealed that Micromax has come out on top, followed by the likes of Samsung Electronics and Apple Inc. The report elaborates that in the Indian tablet market, Micromax enjoys the lead with an 18.4 percent share, followed by Samsung at second position with 13.3 percent, Apple at third position with 12.3 percent, in terms of sales (unit shipments) during the Q2 of 2012.

Putting numbers into perspective, the report found that the total tablet market in India registered a sales of 0.55 million units Q2 2012. 

Importantly, the report found that although the Indian tablet market is at a nascent stage, it has become competitive, riding on the entry of new vendors with entry-level offerings. Interestingly, roughly 90 vendors launched their tablets till Q2 2012. “The ASV of the tablets in 2Q 2012 has dropped to little above INR 13,000 from INR 26,000 in 1Q 2012, as a majority of vendors in early 2012 launched their products in the INR 5,000-10,000 price range,” the report added. 

The report highlighted some key trends in terms of specifications of media tablets in India, as noted in Q2 of 2012. Connectivity-wise, Wi-Fi emerged as the trending option with 69.6 percent share. The 7-inch display category trended in the Q2 of 2012 with 79.7 percent share. Android, as it turns out emerged as the trending option for OS with a whopping 87.5 percent share.