Asus eyes 10% share in India tablet market

Currently, the company has single digit market share between 3-5%

Taiwanese technology firm Asus today said it aims to grow its share in the Indian tablet market to 10% by the end of this year as it expands product portfolio and enhances retail presence across the country.

"Currently, we have single digit market share between 3-5%. The Indian tablet market is estimated to be about 50 lakh units. We want to grow our share to 10% this year," Asus Regional Head South Asia and India Manager System Business Group Peter Chang told PTI.

The company, which has partnered Google for its Nexus 7 tablet, sells its own brand of tablets under the FonePad range. It sells hybrid tablets (which can be used as a netbook) under the Transformer Book range.

"We have been introducing products relevant to the Indian market and will continue to do so. This year, we plan to launch 3-5 more products across our FonePad and Transformer Book range," he said.

The company today launched its Fonepad 7 dual SIM tablet, priced at Rs 12,999.

The seven-inch device allows 3G calling and has HD display, 5MP rear camera, 1.2 MP front camera and supports 64GB microSD memory chips.

It is equipped with Intel Atom Z2520 1.2GHz dual core processor and runs on Android Jellybean operating system, which can be upgraded to the latest KitKat OS after June.

"We are also looking at expanding our retail presence. We plan to double the number of our exclusive stores from 100 now to expand to tier II and III towns," he said.

According to research firm IDC, tablet sales in India, one of the largest growth markets for the smart device, are expected to remain flat this year on account of mandatory BIS compliance and increasing demand for 'phablets'.

Last year, tablet sales in India grew 56.4% to 4.14 million units against 2.66 million units in 2012, according to industry estimates, primarily driven by strong demand for low-cost models from stables of Micromax and Lava, among others.

According to analysts, Asia Pacific and China currently have the highest tablet penetration rates among emerging markets, though Brazil, India and Russia are also expected to experience significant growth.