FollowFor the first time in Japan’s tablet market,ASUS-made Google Nexus 7 outperformed Apple’s iPad,according to a recent survey by BCN,a market research firm.
Japan’s business daily Nikkei,analyzing the results of the report,draws attention to the price difference between the two devices – the $100 difference obviously favors Nexus 7.
BCN’s survey,which involved 2,400 consumer electronic stores in the country,shows that Nexus 7 had a market share of 44.4 percent,while iPad had a market share of 40.1 percent in December 2012.Devices from domestic manufacturers,such as Sony and Fujitsu,had a market share of just 2 to 3 percent over the month.
At the start of 2012,Apple’s market share was less than 50 percent,but quickly reached 70 percent in March, following the launch of the 4th gen iPad.The market share for ASUS was nowhere near – it remained under 10 percent – but soared to 40 percent following the launch of Nexus 7 in September.
The launch of iPad mini in November pressed down the demand for Nexus 7,but the trend was short lived,as iPad sales started declining in December due to supply shortage at stores.
But,Nikkei observes that cost is the driving factor.In Japan,the 16 GB model of Nexus 7 is priced at about $224,which is about $100 less than the $326 price tag of iPad mini.
Nikkei also cites estimates from the IDC Japan report,which state that 3.6 million tablets were sold in December 2012,almost triple the sales of December 2011.The report projects that sales will soar to 4.9 million units this year.
Apple’s iPad has remained the top-selling tablet in Japan,ever since its release in 2010.There has been a sea change in market dynamics in recent months. Does that indicate a new trend?
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