Tablet adoption in Malaysia up 87%

The uptrend in tablet adoption saw around 823,000 units of the gadget being snapped up by consumers in Malaysia in 2012, reflecting a whopping 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 12 months reached US$415 million.The initial year which marked the launch of the first tablet in Malaysia saw new adopters and avid techies buying some 439,000 tablets which averaged at US$570."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.In terms of operating systems, Android is the reigning operating system with nearly 70% of total volume sales in Malaysia."This tablet boom has attracted many new international and smaller players currently offering tablets with varying features at a wide range of prices ranging from the low of US$82, to as high as US$744," noted Chin.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.