Tablets taking hold in emerging markets

Tablet computer growth in emerging markets has been decidedly sluggish compared to that of the developed world, but that is primed to change in the coming years, according to market research group NPD DisplaySearch.

Emerging markets are expected to account for nearly 46 percent of the 383.3 million tablets sold in 2017, up from 36 percent in 2011.

The report notes that tablets are being boosted by increased competition and adoption in countries like China, India, Russia and Brazil. Turkey is also expected to become a bigger piece of the tablet market as it looks to update its educational system with a greater focus on technology.

"The emerging market opportunity for tablets has been flying under the radar mainly because the device brands aren’t household names and there are concerns regarding the sustainability of the market," says NPD DisplaySearch senior analyst Richard Sim. "However, we are beginning to see investments by some of the better-known brands in developing regions, and we expect this to not only continue but to flourish as competition improves."

Several countries around the world are looking to adopt tablets for their education systems. For example, the government of Thailand has also revealed plans to purchase 900,000 tablet computers for primary schoolchildren before eventually rolling out the technology to the rest of its students.