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Consumers in Southeast Asia Bought Over 260,000 Tablets worth USD167 Million in First Four Months of this Year: GfK Asia

Nearly one in two buyers chose an Android tablet

June 20, 2011, SINGAPORE – The launch of the tablet last year has taken the world by storm causing much excitement in the computing industry among both consumers and manufacturers alike. Shortly after the first of its kind—the IPad officially entered the market, consumers were snapping them up while manufacturers were coming up with new models with increasing number of new and advanced features. According to global leading market research company GfK Asia, some 261,000 tablets spanning almost ten brands were sold across seven Southeast Asian markets* from January to April this year.

Tablets operating on the Android operating system (OS) has been rising in prevalence and is today the most popular platform embraced by users. In April, almost half of all tablets (46%) purchased by consumers was an Android compared to five months before, in November, where the proportion was only slightly just over one out of ten (13%).

"GfK’s retail audit across the seven Southeast Asian markets showed that similar to smartphone trends, Android OS has also been gaining traction in the tablets arena since the last quarter of 2010,” said Mr. Gerard Tan, Regional Account Director for IT, GfK Asia. "More manufacturers are banking on the current Android craze and choosing this platform for their tablets, resulting in consumers being availed more options of Android tablets to choose from.”

The combination of today’s well wired society plus consumers’ demand for high speed and constant web-connectivity have made 3G and 4G tablets popular choices as compared to the non 3G/4G counterparts even with their costlier pricing. 3G and 4G enabled tablet sales contribute to nearly four-fifths (79%) of overall sales units across the seven countries.

"In recent months, we have also noticed the addition of more features on new tablet models such as double camera which is fast becoming the default feature, as well as USB drives,” observed Mr. Tan. "However, despite all these enhancements, average prices are on a declining trend, making tablets increasingly affordable to consumers.”

GfK Asia’s retail tracking showed that average prices of tablets have been sliding gradually across Southeast Asia with the average price standing at around USD600 in April, down by 23 percent when compared to January’s average pricing across the region. The most expensive tablets were found in Indonesia, whereas those being sold in the Philippines reflected the lowest average selling price in April.

"The tablet, with its lighter and sleeker form factor, will continue to wow consumers and enjoy significant adoption in the near future,” said Mr. Tan. "We can also expect manufacturers on the other hand, to continue stimulating the market by fueling consumer demands with more exciting features and offering them at competitive prices,” he concluded.

About GfK Asia Pte Ltd

GfK Asia is part of the global GfK Group and has over 25 years of experience providing reliable retail and technology market data in Asia. Based in Singapore, the company offers extensive coverage in Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia, Korea, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Vietnam, the Philippines and India. Our analysts track a broad range of consumer products, technical consumer equipment, optical products and gaming software. We are also active in the automotive sector.  Among all sectors, GfK Asia is in cooperation with a retailer network of more than 500 major chain stores operating approximately 15,000 outlets in the modern trade. We audit the sales from these chain stores and also more than 25,000 independent/specialist shops on a weekly and monthly basis.  This information is published in our syndicated reports that continuously track the sales trends of more than 430 products and over 256,000 models.

The GfK Group

The GfK Group offers the fundamental knowledge that industry, retailers, services companies and the media need to make market decisions. It delivers a comprehensive range of information and consultancy services in the three business sectors Custom Research, Retail and Technology and Media. The No. 4 market research organization worldwide operates in more than 100 countries and employs over 10,000 staff. In 2010, the GfK Group’s sales amounted to EUR 1.29 billion. For further information, visit our website: www.gfk.com. Follow us on Twitter: www.twitter.com/gfk_group.

 Notes

· Southeast Asian markets surveyed: Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam,Cambodia Indonesia and Philippines.

·  Survey period: Jan-Apr 2011.