Tablet sales in India to rise 102% in FY14: MAIT

According to MAIT tablets are eating into sales of desktops, notebooks, netbooks

Rising number of people on the move, preference for a lighter device and better affordability are expected to drive an over 100% growth in tablet sales in the country to 3.84 million this fiscal, says industry body MAIT.

Tablet sales in India, that is counted among the leading markets for sale of tablets and smartphones globally, stood at 1.90 million in 2012-13 fiscal, data provided by IT hardware industry body Manufacturers Association of Information Technology (MAIT) shows.

According to MAIT's annual industry performance review, conducted by market research firm IMRB International, tablets are eating into sales of desktops, notebooks and netbooks.

The 2012-13 fiscal has been the year for the tablet PC with consumers preferring it over PC as replacement, MAIT President J V Ramamurthy said.

The combination of basic functioning of a PC coupled with affordability is turning the tide in its favour, he added.

Compared to the growth in tablets, PC sales are expected to rise by a modest 8% to 12.11 million in the current fiscal against 11.17 million in 2012-13 fiscal, he added.

"Tablets are cannibalising the PC market and registering a phenomenal growth of 424% in the second consecutive year," Ramamurthy said.

Tablet sales in 2012-13 stood at 1.9 million units against 0.36 million in 2011-12.

On the growth in tablet sales, research firm IMRB Group Business Director Biswapriya Bhattacharjee said as an increasing number of professionals are working on the field or are travelling, tablets are a preferred devices as they are light and handy.

Tablets are here to stay and in the future more evolved versions will hit the markets, he told PTI.

In 3-5 years time, we see the existence of two devices -- a computation devices and a creation device. People will be using more of the computation devices like smartphones and tablets, he added.

Bhattacharjee said that the smartphone and tablet space could merge in the future with the existence of a 5-inch screen device, which would be the mainstay.