Indian tablet market expected to remain flat in 2014: IDC

Tablet sales in India, one of the largest growth markets for the smart device, is expected to remain flat this year on account of mandatory BIS compliance and increasing demand for 'phablets', research firm IDC said.

According to analysts, Asia Pacific and China currently have the highest tablet penetration rates among emerging markets, though Brazil, India and Russia are also expected to experience significant growth.

Last year, tablet sales in India grew 56.4 per cent to 4.14 million units against 2.66 million units in 2012, according to industry estimates.

This was primarily driven by strong demand for low-cost models from stables of Micromax and Lava, among others.

"IDC anticipates the overall tablet market to remain flat in CY 2014. Government mandate on Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) Certification mixed with the growing popularity of phablets (devices with 5-7 inch screen size) is likely to obstruct the growth in the tablet category," IDC Research Manager Kiran Kumar said.

However, there has been an uptake in adoption of tablets amongst commercial users. These are primarily meeting relevant needs in industries like financial services, healthcare, media and education, among others, he added.

The delay in BIS certification is expected to affect the launch of several devices by companies.

Political developments in countries like India, Indonesia and Thailand could also affect commercial spending on devices like tablets and PCs.

"Tectonic changes in politics will affect commercial spending in some of the major countries, like India, Indonesia, and Thailand, which are due to hold elections this year," it added.