Android tablets take SA by storm
New data from the IDC shows that tablet shipments to SA have increased by 107% since last year, while the PC market has suffered as predicted.
Tablet shipments increased to total 513,000 units, according to the IDC, while the PC market’s decline was better than initially predicted, sinking 19% to 427,000 units.
“The decline in PC shipments can be attributed to the weak rand, high unemployment rate, poverty, and cannibalization from tablet devices,” said Joseph Hlongwane, a research analyst at IDC South Africa.
“As is the case in all high-tech markets, tablets have grown exponentially since their introduction in South Africa and the trend is expected to continue along a similar path in the coming years.”
“Their success in the computing space has been driven primarily by their mobility benefits, touchscreen technology, and competitive price points.”
According to IDC’s data, tablets in the 7″ and 8″ category have seen the highest growth (208.5% year on year), reflecting the popularity of the form factor with users who use tablets to surf the Internet and access social media.
Android Kit Kat
Android domination
Android-based tablet shipments were up 170.9% over the same period to total 436,000 units, IDC said. In 2013 alone, 1.2 million Android-based tablets were shipped into South Africa, representing 77.1% of the market.
iOS-based tablets have been losing market share, with shipments down 15.7% year on year in Q4 2013 to 65,000 units. Only 300,000 iOS units were shipped into the country in 2013, representing a market share of 19.3%.
“Since the introduction of tablet devices, IDC has seen traditional PCs become lighter, thinner, and smaller,” Hlongwane said.
“There is a clear desire among traditional PC vendors to mimic the style and designs that have made tablet PCs so successful, although this evolution is not all one sided. Indeed, we have also seen stark improvements in the battery power, screen resolution, and form factors offered by vendors in the tablet market.”
In terms of the PC market, IDC reported that HP regained top spot in South Africa’s overall PC market for Q4 2013, securing a 16.7% year-on-year increase in shipments.
This follows having previously experienced consecutive quarterly declines since the beginning of 2013.
Lenovo ranked second after boosting its shipments 23.3% year on year. Third-placed Dell’s shipments were up 15.9% year on year for the quarter.
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