DataWind, maker of the Aakash tablet, has surpassed the likes Samsung and Apple to become the top tablet vendor in the first quarter of 2013. According to Cyber Media Research’s India Quarterly Tablet Market report for Q1 2013, DataWind had 15.3 percent market share followed by Micromax and Apple with 12.3 percent and 11.7 percent share respectively in second and third place. It’s notable the figures don’t include the shipment of the Aakash tablets to the government.
The report says more than 905,000 Tablets were sold (shipped) in the quarter by as many as 53 domestic and international vendors. However, only nine vendors shipped in significant volumes of more than 20,000 units during the period. The overall growth in shipments of Tablets in the India market registered an 158.96% year-on-year (1Q CY 2013 over 1Q CY 2012) growth, but a marginal 17.57% quarter-on-quarter (1Q CY 2013 over 4Q CY 2012) dip due to what it calls as ‘seasonal’ factors.
Commenting on the results, Faisal Kawoosa, Lead Analyst, CMR Telecoms Practice says, “The continued long term growth in shipments of Tablets in the India market further points to the fact that a large proportion of first time users of computers in emerging markets like India are getting to experience computing through this highly portable, converged form factor.”
“The performance of the India Tablets market is in line with global trends, where shipments of traditional computing devices such as desktop PCs and notebook PCs are seeing a relative deceleration, whereas Tablet shipments witness a surge, driven by consumer demand.”
Tarun Pathak, Analyst, CMR Telecoms Practice comments, “Datawind and Micromax have figured amongst the Top 3 India Tablet vendors since 4Q CY 2012, while Apple was No. 2 for CY 2012. These players continued to maintain their leadership ranks during 1Q CY 2013. This trend points to a sort of polarization of India Tablet user segments – one set looks primarily for performance and best-in-class build quality and typically opts for the high-end Apple iPad, while the other segment looks for a wide range of features at an affordable price point and opts for brands like Datawind and Micromax.”
DataWind CEO Suneet Singh Tuli says the focus on affordability and connectivity factors helped the company accomplish the milestone.
“Our flagship product, the UbiSlate 7C , is also the world’s lowest cost phablet for only Rs.4,999 inclusive of all duties and taxes in the Indian market. In addition to WiFi connectivity, the device takes a regular SIM card, allowing the user to make calls or access the internet on its quad-band Edge modem – and with DataWind’s special web acceleration technology it allows a fast and rich internet experience, anytime and anywhere,” says Suneet Singh Tuli.