Malaysia – The uptrend in tablet adoption saw around 823,000 units of the gadget being snapped up by consumers in Malaysia in 2012, reflecting an increased growth of 87% or 384,000 units more compared to 2011. According to the latest data from GfK Malaysia, the total worth of the tablet industry in the country during the twelve months reached US$415 million.

The initial year, which marked the launch of the first tablet in Malaysia saw new adopters purchasing about 439,000 tablets which averaged at US$570. The demand continued to escalate, with October 2012 hitting a high of over 81,200 tablets sold in a month.

“The key reasons for this boom in Malaysia and elsewhere in the region is the widening range of tablets selling at lowering prices, which makes the smart device increasingly affordable to consumers,” highlight Selinna Chin, Managing Director of GfK Malaysia. “The government has also played an instrumental role in the rise of tablets as they continue to step up efforts to improve Internet infrastructure, connectivity and speed in the country.”

GfK retail audit findings showed that the number of key brands in the market has since expanded to 35 in 2012 up from 18 in 2011, availing consumers today to an expansive array of 84 tablet models to choose from. In terms of operating systems, Android is the reigning operating system with nearly 70% of total volume sales in Malaysia. The results of a separate GfK survey conducted last December presents a positive outlook for tablets with one in three (33%) respondents indicating the intention to purchase a tablet in the first quarter of 2013.

“Last year’s average price of US$505 reflects a significant 10% price erosion from the time when tablets were initially launched in Malaysia around the last quarter of 2010, and the intensifying competition for the consumer dollar has and will keep on driving down prices, inevitably causing continued erosion of tablet prices in 2013,” added Chin.