Australian tablet sales up 147% as Android and Windows grab iPad marketshare

The Australian tablet market grew by a remarkable 147% year-on-year during the first quarter of 2013, to 1.14 million units, according to new figures.

However, on a slightly sour note for Apple, the IDC figures also show Android and Windows tablets gained marketshare at the expense of the iPad on both a year-on-year and quarter-on-quarter basis.

“Users now have better access to a wide range of low to high-end tablets as well as different operating systems compared to last year. In 2012, a user would usually choose between an Apple iPad or a Samsung Galaxy Tab but now, a year later, brands like ASUS, Acer, and Microsoft would also appear on the user’s radar,” says Suzanne Tai, associate market analyst of IDC’s ANZ Infrastructure Research Group.

“Whitebox [generic brand] tablets have picked up significantly as well, driven with heavy promotions by retailers such as Aldi, Harvey Norman, K-Mart and Warehouse Stationary.”

According to the figures, the Australian marketshare for Apple fell to 56%, down significantly from 80% in the first quarter of 2012 and 69% in the fourth quarter of 2012.

Meanwhile, Android tablets now control 36% of the Australian market, up from 18% a year ago and 26% last quarter.

The fastest growth, albeit off a smaller base, came from Windows, which grew from just 1% marketshare during the first quarter of 2012 to 8% of the market today.

“Android is growing its foothold in the marketplace, thanks to Samsung’s aggressiveness with promotions and channel strategies, as well as the influx of whitebox tablets. Additionally, Windows tablets are also gaining traction with entry of new models, pilot rollouts and implementations in commercial sector especially in education,” Tai says.

The figures show that Apple’s Australian marketshare is significantly below the 82% claimed by Apple chief executive Tim Cook during the iOS7 launch at Apple’s Worldwide Developer Conference earlier this month.

“People are using our products substantially more than anyone else’s,” Cook said, with ‘#1 [in] customer usage’ on the screen behind him.

Compared to international figures, Australia’s 147% adoption rate is faster than the global average of 142.4%, with Australia making up more than 2% of the 49.2 million shipped during the quarter.