Tablet entrants must readjust their pricing if they want to dethrone the iPad as best-selling tablet.
That’s according YouGov’s latest survey on tablets, where the iPad still dominates in buzzword categories like consumer awareness, and consideration.
Several tablets have matched the cost of the iPad 2, and some are priced significantly higher than the cheapest entry-level iPad 2, the 16GB WiFi-only model. This includes the likes of HTC’s Flyer, and LG’s Optimus Pad.
YouGov say that even matching the entry-level prices may not be enough, despite specification variations like storage space, 3G connectivity and screen-size. YouGov’s previous research put the ‘tipping point’ price of the tablet at around £250, less than most high-end smartphones.
Russell Feldman, Associate Director for Technology and Telecoms at YouGov said that: “Apple’s iPad leads the way in the tablet market and not just in terms of sales success but also in consumer expectation, awareness and consideration levels.
“So in order to successfully compete, brands need to seriously re-think price. Retailers also need to convince these manufacturers that outpricing the brand leader will not help their cause.”
Non-Apple brands fared badly in YouGov’s latest poll, with 77% of “those keen to buy a tablet” wanting an iPad 2.
Next, the second and third most popular tablets are its predecessor, the iPad 1 and Samsung’s first Android tablet, the Galaxy Tab. Other manufacturers were lucky to get a few percentage points, with 3% of prospective tablet customers wanting HTC’s Flyer, and 2% interested in BlackBerry’s PlayBook.
“Google (Android) also need to change their strategy in the tablet market. Google’s success in the smartphone market is in part due to the OS being available to both low and high end manufacturers meaning it is accessible to all,” said Feldman.
The iPad 2 still dominates tablet sales, how will competitors will crack its stranglehold on tablet customers?
Would you buy anything else? Let us know in the comments.
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