Asustek Jumps to No.4 Spot in China's Tablet PC Market in Q2

Taipei, Aug. 2, 2011 (CENS)--The Taiwan-based Asustek Computer Inc., a world-caliber PC brand, scored a 4.2% share as the fourth-largest brand in the Chinese market for tablet PCs in the second quarter, outpacing Motorola and Lenevo, according to a local market research body Enfodesk.

Enfodesk's report shows that sales of tablet PCs totaled 1.4414 million units in the market in the second quarter of this year, with Apple Inc. remaining No.1 with a dominant market share of 74.3%. The China-based eben and Samsung posted a share of 4.8% and 4.5%, respectively, for the No.2 and No.3 spot. Trailing Asustek, Motorola and Lenovo came fifth and sixth, respectively, with a 2.2% and 2.0% share.

Enfodesk's analysts indicated that with more players joining the competition, the market will see increasingly intense competition. They pointed out HTC's Flyer, for instance, has similar technical specifications as eben's competing models, and hence is expected to capture some of its potential shares in the future.

While Apple's iPad keeps dominating the market, Asustek's EEE Pad Transformer, which has received raving reviews from foreign news agencies, like New York Times, for its cutting-edge keypad attachment and friendly selling prices, has quickly gained its ground. In addition to China, in fact, the product has also enjoyed hot sales in different countries of the world, helping the brand to offset a sales decline in netbook PCs so far this year.

But, now that few brands can narrow Apple's lead in a short time, the competition for the No.2 spot in the market will become even more intense, especially when more low-priced generic tablet PCs have also hit the market to threaten these runner-ups, indicated market observers.

DisplaySearch's survey findings show that global sales of generic tablet PCs sharply increased to 1.9 million units to command a 19.6% share of the total in the first quarter of this year, only next to Apple's market share and higher than any of a single PC brand. Compared to branded models that sell for between RMB3,500 and RMB5,000, generic tablet PCs are commonly priced at RMB2,000 and below, well received as low-end alternatives in the Chinese market.

Market Share Recorded by Tablet PC Brands in China in Q2, 2011
Ranking	Brand	Market Share
1	Apple	74.3%
2	eben	4.8%
3	Samsung	4.5%
4	Asustek	4.2%
5	Motorola	2.2%
6	Lenovo	2.0%

Source: Enfodesk