Popularity of 2-in-1 tablets on the rise

The iPad is still the top tablet in Australia as tablet computer sales continue to grow, according to research from Telsyte.

The Telsyte Australian Tablet Computer Study 2018–2022 also reveals that there were 1.5 million devices sold in the first half of 2018, up 3.6% from the previous year.

Apple maintained its market leadership (49.6% iOS vs 26.0% Windows vs 24.0% Android vs 0.4% Chrome OS) due the popularity of the iPad 9.7″ model, which was the leading product sold during the half.

The top three vendors were Apple, Samsung and Microsoft. However, Telsyte believes there is a growing opportunity for other vendors to build on market awareness and tap into consumers’ shifting preferences from laptops to 2-in-1s.

Demand for 2-in-1s (Telsyte includes iPad Pro tablets as 2-in-1s) continued to grow, with sales in the first half of 2018 up 25% over the same period last year.

Telsyte Managing Director Foad Fadaghi said the versatility of 2-in-1s is increasingly appealing to both businesses and consumers.

“There are now more 2-in-1 tablet options available in the sub-$1000 range compared to 12 months ago,” Fadaghi said.

Traditional PC manufacturers such as Lenovo, Dell, HP, Acer and Asus are also set to benefit from the transition that is happening from laptops to touchscreen 2-in-1s.

Telsyte estimates around two million tablets were connected to Australia’s cellular mobile networks (3G/4G) at the end of June 2018. This figure is set to grow over the coming years as shared mobile data caps grow and newer devices make use of electronic SIMs (eSIMs) and new 5G networks.

Telsyte research also shows that interactive gaming has been a critical application for tablets, and a big driver for replacements and upgrades. Games remain the largest revenue generators on tablets in both Android and Apple app stores. This follows a similar trend with non-portable computers with Telsyte latest polling showing around 20% of desktops PCs purchased by Australians are mainly for gaming.

In Australia, the interactive games industry generated more than $3 billion in 2017 and Telsyte research shows around a third of the annual revenue was from mobile gaming, across both tablets and smartphones.

With more than one in four Australian tablet users playing games on their devices daily, popular titles such as Fortnite have skyrocketed on mobile devices. Telsyte estimates there were more than one million Fortnite players (16+ years of age) on mobile (tablets and smartphones) at the end of July 2018.

Augmented reality (AR) is also gaining momentum on tablets, with more than 3000 AR apps already on Apple’s App Store. Among tablet users who are interested in AR applications, games received the most interest (33%), followed by virtual tours, travel-related apps and education apps. The most sought-after AR tablet game genres were shooters (40%), adventure games (31%) and platformers (30%).

Image courtesy of Telsyte.

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