Indian tablet personal computer (PC) market will touch 7.3 million units by 2015-16 from around 1.7 million units in the current year, said the Manufacturers’ Association for Information Technology (MAIT).
The industry body in a study along with research agency IMRB said that tablet PCs in the mid-range, priced between Rs 10,000 and Rs 20,000, will drive the market in the future apart from the various State Governments distributing the product to students.
The study was conducted over the last two months and involved 700 tablet consumers and 17 manufacturers, including Samsung, Micromax, Lava, Olive and Beetel.
States such as Uttar Pradesh and Goa are expected to distribute 26 lakh and 1.50 lakh units to students, respectively, as announced by the respective Chief Ministers recently, it said.
“A factor in the growth of tablets has been the encouragement from the Government in adopting and developing low-cost options for use in our villages,” Alok Bhardwaj, the outgoing President, MAIT, said.
He said the tablet market is expected to grow at around 40 per cent compound annual growth rate over the next five years. The developing ecosystem of this device will also ensure adoption by many users.
Departments such as healthcare, local council, agriculture, Defence and military forces are also potential tablet adopters in the Government. In the corporate industry, sectors such as insurance, pharmaceuticals, market research, aviation, logistics and school education are early adopters, he said.
There is a need to enable Internet infrastructure faster of 3G, 4G and WiFi hotspots in terms of both cost and coverage, financing innovation and encourage indigenous manufacturing, ensure quality norms and tab on prices, and facilitate integration among players of value chain, Bhardwaj said.
New MAIT president
The Manufacturers’ Association for Information Technology has appointed J.V. Murthy as President for 2012-13 replacing Alok Bhardwaj. Murthy is the President of HCL Infosystems.
It has also elected Amar Babu of Lenovo India as its Vice-President.
Set up in 1982 for scientific, educational and IT industry promotion, MAIT completed 30 years on Friday.