Covid lockdowns saw big revival in demand for tablet PCs

27th August 2020
Covid lockdowns  saw big  revival in demand for tablet PCs

New Delhi, Aug 27  2020 : The Covid-19 pandemic has helped at least one sector:  the long dormant tablet PC market woke up to register a 23% quarter on quarter growth, when the lockdowns were on. Shipments of Tablets with WiFi capabilities grew a whopping 98% QoQ  during this period.
Shipments of Tablets with 7-8 inches display constituted 35% of the overall shipments in the India market. On the other hand, Tablets with 10-inch and above displays contributed to 64% of the shipments.
According to CMR’s Tablet PC Market Report Review for Q2 2020, this was primarily fuelled by consumer demand for Work-from-home (WFH) and Learning-from-Home (LFH) needs.
Says Menka Kumari, Analyst-Industry Intelligence Group (IIG), CMR, “Fuelled by WFH and LFH needs, the Tablet market grew remarkably in Q2 2020, bucking historical faltering growth trends. In addition to the consumer demand, the Tablet market grew on the back of agility shown by vendors and channel partners to offer attractive discounts to capitalize on the demand.”
Adds Prabhu Ram, Head-Industry Intelligence Group (IIG), CMR,“As Indians continue to operate in a homebound economy, the Tablet is emerging as a preferred companion device for education, remote work and for content consumption. Given their portable, and larger screen size and, more importantly, much more affordable pricing, Tablets are democratizing access to digital content for all family members.”
The Top Three Tablet players
Lenovo continued to lead the India market with a 48% market share, growing 24% QoQ, and capitalizing on opportunities in the enterprise and consumer verticals. Lenovo M10 (HD & FHD & FHD Plus) series contributed upto 14% of Lenovo’s market share.
Samsung garnered 29% market share, and a whopping 143% QoQ. Samsung has recently launched new Galaxy S6 Lite Wi-Fi & 4G Variants in Q2 2020. Samsung TAB A series did really well, with the Galaxy Tab A 10.1 LTE & Wi-Fi (2019) series contributing close to 25% of Samsung's market share.
Apple was placed third in Q2 2020 with a 12% market share, growing 36% QoQ. Apple iPad 7 Series contributed close to 7% of the market share, one of its most favoured model in the market. Apple launched a new iPad Pro 2020 version with keypad, which is suitable for e-learning and content creators. It would be interesting to see how the iPad Pro 2020 contributes to Apple’s growth in the coming quarters.
The prospects for the Tablet Market continue to remain favourable, with the tablet market anticipated to grow 15-20% in H2 2020. The resurgence in the tablet market will be driven by continued pandemic conditions, and the need to adapt to the new normal.
“Whether vaccine is ready or not, the revival in the Tablet market will continue in the coming quarters, driven by the pandemic-related school and work closures. While the initial resurgence in the tablet shipments could be attributed to pent-up demand, the demand going forward will be based on consumer realization that this is the new normal,” adds Menka.