Australia appears to be developing a taste for two-in-one tablets, with the device category accounting for over 40 per cent of total domestic tablet sales during the second half of 2017, according to the latest figures from Telsyte.
Moreover, the enterprise and bring-you-own-device (BYOD) segments of the market are driving continued market growth for two-in-one tablets over the six months ending 2017, the industry analyst firm said.
The latest data, which comes from the Telsyte Australian Tablet Computer Market Study 2018, shows that a total of 1.65 million tablets were sold in Australia during the second half of 2017, representing an increase of just one per cent over the same period the year prior.
The study also found that sales of Google Android-based tablets continued to decline, falling by 16 per cent, year-on-year, for the period.
While Samsung and Lenovo remained the largest Android tablet vendors in Australia, other device makers are turning their focus to Windows 10 tablets and two-in-one devices in place of Android tablets.
Indeed, Telsyte suggests that sales of two-in-one tablets during the six-month period was predominantly driven by Windows, with more Australians considering Windows two-in-ones tablets when it comes to upgrading their laptops.
During the period, overall Windows tablet sales overtook Android tablet sales for the first time, and Windows two-in-one tablet sales increased by 13 per cent, year-on-year, in the second half of 2017. The Windows tablet audience, as a whole, is expected to surpass Android during 2018.
It should be noted, however, that Apple iPad sales saw a six percent surge in the second half of 2017 compared to the previous year, due largely to a replacement cycle driven by the new 9.7-inch iPad and an overall increase in interest for the iPad Pro series.
Telsyte said it had identified education and enterprise as key growth segments for tablet sales over the next one to two years, despite growth in Australia’s tablet-using audience starting to show signs of peaking.
According to the study, more than 15 million Australians had access to a tablet as at the end of 2017 -- up around 200,000 people over the 2016 figures.
Telsyte’s latest study comes after fellow analyst firm, IDC, pointed to a continuing tendency for Australia to buck the declining global traditional PC market, despite the encroachment of other device markets, such as tablets.
Traditional PC shipments in Australia grew by 2.2 per cent year-on-year during the fourth quarter of 2017, to 1.16 million units, according to IDC.
