Aussie tablet market tipped to explode

The Australian tablet market will grow by 50 percent during 2013, according to analyst firm Telstyte.

The expected growth comes on top of the five million existing tablet users, said research director Foad Fadaghi.

“Low cost and smaller form factor media tablets, typically without cellular connectivity, are shaping the market,” acording to Fadaghi.

Smaller devices such as the iPad mini and Google Nexus 7 will drive the expansion in the market. This growth will occur at the expense of the larger, costlier 10-inch devices.

Fadaghi also said the majority of users will access their devices within the home, obtaining cellular connections when needed by tethering to smartphones.

He also noted by 2017 the number of tablets used in the Australian market will rival the number of smartphone handsets.

Apple remains the dominant player, albeit with a slightly reduced marketshare due to the increasing consumer acceptance of Android, driven largely by strong sales of tablets by Samsung.

“The growth of Android in the smartphone market is also creating a halo-effect for media tablets with consumers increasingly comfortable with the platform,” Fadaghi said.

Windows 8 tablets, in both RT and Pro form, are likely to begin making inroads into the business market, where Windows compatibility and management functions are important. Younger consumers will also begin to embrace the Windows platform, noted Fadaghi, as they replace aging laptops with tablet devices.