New Delhi: After four consecutive years of decline, India’s tablet market is on the path to recovery with a double-digital growth in CY2020 fuelled by the need for online classes.
India shipped 2.8 million tablets during the year, up 14.7% year-on-year (YoY), according to International Data Corporation’s (IDC) latest worldwide quarterly personal computing device tracker report published today.
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“So far whatever growth we saw in tablets came from education sector. As schools went virtual, tablets emerged as the perfect fit for students in primary and upper primary level," said Jaipal Singh, associate research manager, Client Devices, IDC India.
Though tablet shipments in consumer segment grew annually at an even higher 59.8%, those in commercial segment fell by 14.3% as some government projects were postponed.
Budget segment continued to draw most attention given the price sensitive nature of Indian market. As per IDC, the average selling price (ASP) for tablets in commercial segment was $255 (approx ₹18,654). Tablets with screen size of 10.1 inch were in highest demand making for 33% of total shipments.
The $100-200 segment accounted for more than half of total tablet shipments. The above $300 segment which included products such as Apple iPad 10.2 and Samsung Galaxy Tab S6 Lite, grew at 72.3% annually.
Lenovo remained the market leader in CY2020 on back of 6.6% increase in annual shipments. The Chinese brand had its biggest growth in consumer segment as its shipments grew 153% annually. However, their shipment in commercial segment fell by 15.1% annually.
Samsung retained the second position, despite being the fastest growing brand in consumer segment. The South Korean brand’s shipments in the segment grew 157% over the previous year.
Apple moved to the third spot in CY20 with 13% yearly increase in shipments, replacing Indian brand iBall, which saw a 69.9% yearly decline. The year wasn’t entirely smooth for the US brand as it struggled with stock availability, but managed to recover and gain market share after the launch of new iPads in the second half of the year.
According to news reports, Apple is planning to start iPad manufacturing in India, eyeing government incentives aimed at boosting local electronic manufacturing.
Early this week, union cabinet approved the production linked incentive scheme (PLI) scheme with an incentive outlay of ₹7,350 crore for laptops, tablets, all-in-ones and servers. Eligible companies will receive incentives of up to 4% on incremental sales of goods manufactured in India over the next 4 years.
Singh feels, demand for tablets in India won’t fade away anytime soon. “The demand is still strong and we expect it to remain robust in 2021. Many of the government and education deals which were postponed last year are expected to be completed this year and that will drive up shipment in commercial segment," adds Singh.
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