Thai tablet market quadruples in Q2

Thailand's tablet market experienced "exceptional growth" during the second quarter of 2012 with shipments reaching 466,000 units, says IDC.

In a statement Tuesday, the research firm said the Thai market saw a 300 percent growth over the 100,000-plus units shipped in the second quarter of 2011, and represented a 127 percent jump over the first quarter of this year.

In view of this growth, IDC revised its 2012 market forecast from 125 percent to 140 percent on-year growth, adding that shipments in Thailand is expected to surpass 1.4 million units by the end of the year.

Jarit Sidhu, market analyst for client devices research at IDC Thailand, said in the statement the growth in the second quarter was observed across all segments. "Intense competition between Apple and Samsung presented consumers in the mid- to upper-class segments with more choices, which has helped keep the market growing at an impressive rate," he said.

Telecom operators have also given the market a boost by promoting bundled data packages at attractive price points for tablets, Jarit added.

At the entry-level, Thailand government's one-child-one-tablet initiative not only increased shipment volume but also helped promote the awareness of tablets in the country, he noted.

"Local vendors such as GNET and i-Mobile were among those who benefited from this scheme in the second quarter, as they posted strong growth numbers," he added

IDC said Thailand now ranks among the biggest and the fastest-growing markets in Asia-Pacific for tablets.

In a report published in May, Thailand's National Electronics and Computer Technology Center said tablets will surpass desktop in sales in the country this year--a first for the Southeast Asian market.