We’ve got the details for tablet sales in Asia. Credit Agricole Securities USA’s Avi Silver shared the information, and what he found was not surprising. He predicts that next year(in 2013) Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) will own about half of the sale shares, although Android will finally pick up.
They predict Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) (without the rumored iPad Mini) will sell 148 million tablets in 2013 and 192 million in 2014. If Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) debuts the Mini sometime this year, they predict the company will sell 164 million in 2013 and 217 million in 2014. The Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) market share will be 62% in 2013 and 60% in 2014.
If Apple doesn’t release the iPad Mini, Android will most likely dominate the 7″ inch tablet sector, which will be a growing market, thanks to the impressive utility ratio of $250-$300.
Components used for the iPad Mini will start shipping during the late 3Q12 and start the mass production stage during 4Q12.
Their forecasts are predicated on 3 major assumptions:
- 7” Android tablets are going to take off, finally. After many iterations where prices were too high and functionalities not convincing, they think that at $250 the utility/cost ratio is attractive. Android Apps for tablets, productivity tools, are still behind the iPad’s in both quantity and quality but catching up. As such, Android Tablets volumes could become larger than iPad by 2015, as has happened for smartphones.
- However the launch of an iPad Mini will considerably reduce Android addressable market, due to the iPad’s largely superior eco-system.
- WindowsRT or Windows on ARM will have limited success.
Android tablet makers mentioned in the forecast include Amazon.com, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMZN), AU Optronics Corp. (NYSE:AUO, LG Display Co Ltd. (NYSE:LPL), Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT), and Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. (KRX:005930). Tablets from lower-end lines (with price range from $80 to $100) and not so-commonly known brands are not included in the official statistics. These tablets are of low quality.
What does this tablet forecast mean for Asia? Sales for the iPad (especially given the notion that Apple will release their rumored iPad Mini) look good, but that doesn’t mean that they’re the clear winner. Unlike the limited and pricey tablets offered by Apple, Google Inc (NASDAQ:GOOG) offers a diverse range of Android tablets to choose from. They’ve got many different models, brands, and price ranges, offering something for everyone. Apple may sell more tablets in the long run but that doesn’t mean they own the tablet market.
Tablets are quickly becoming more important in a tech market that prizes mobile and on-the-go-devices. It doesn’t look like this trend is going to change anytime soon, and as more people are ditching their traditional desktops or laptops for more mobile devices, the demand for tablet computers will grow.
