Bangkok Post : Android grabs top spot in Thai market
Posted By admin on December 11, 2011
Android-based smartphones led the Thai market for the first time in the third quarter, ousting Nokia’s Symbian.
A Motorola Triumph running on Google’s Android software.
A greater variety of phoe makers and a wide range of prices and applications are propelling the growth of Google’s mobile platform.
According to Songklod Wongpeng, telecom accounts manager at the market research firm GfK Retail and Technology (Thailand), Android-based smartphones gained a 45% share of the mobile operating system market in the third quarter, up from 9% in the first quarter.
Apple’s iOS remained in second place, followed by Symbian and RIM’s BlackBerry.
Apple still dominates in high-end smartphones, but its momentum is slowing as it releases one new product with minor changes, the iPhone 4S.
Mr Songklod expects Android to increase its share to 55% by the end of 2011, with BlackBerry overtaking Symbian.
“Windows-based smartphones like Nokia came quite late to the market, while Android and iPhone already support document compatibility similar to Windows Phones,” suggested Mr Songklod.
GfK found that in October, when the floods reached Bangkok, smartphone sales were only minimally impacted despite overall mobile sales falling 20% in the city.
Smartphone sales normally grow 5-10% each month, but sales in October were merely flat.
The smartphone market experienced exponential growth in 2010-11 and is expected to peak in 2012 at nearly half the overall mobile phone market, up from 20% this year.
The country’s overall smartphone market is seen doubling to 5.6 million units in 2012.
Apple’s iPhone 4S will arrive in Thailand on Dec 16, the same date as its rival RIM’s BlackBerry Bold 9790, targeted at high-end buyers.
The average smartphone price has fallen from 10,000 baht in 2010 to 8,900 baht this year, with 6,500 baht seen for 2012.
“We can say that 2011 was the smartphone’s trigger year, and in 2012 the market is expected to still enjoy solid growth fuelled by price drops and increased performance and quality,” Mr Songklod said.
Attaphon Satidkanitkul, research manager at IDC Thailand, said the smartphone market should reach a mature stage by the end of 2012, with growth continuing in double digits right up until 2014.
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