DataWind beats Samsung, leads tablet market in India: IDC report

NEW DELHI: Creator of Aakash tablet and the leader in delivering Internet access to emerging markets, DataWind Inc shipped more tablets in India during the fourth quarter of 2015 than any of its competitors, according to a recent IDC report.

DataWind was responsible for 20.7% of the tablets sold in India during the quarter, followed by Samsung at 15.8%, Micromax at 15.5%, Lenovo at 13.8%, and iBall at 10.0%. DataWind tablet sales have far exceeded the growth rate of the overall market in India, which according to IDC was 8.2% in 2015.

According to another recent study, DataWind holds 58% market share in the sub-Rs 5,000 tablet segment (approximately $75) which is the largest growing segment of the overall market, having nearly doubled since 2014.

DataWind is observed to be the only tablet provider in India focused on providing affordable tablets and Internet access. All DataWind tablets and smartphones come with one year of unlimited Internet access, and feature affordable ongoing plans available on the market due to the company’s unique, patented technology that reduces up to 97% the amount of data needed for web browsing.

“This IDC report reveals that more Indians prefer our tablets than any of our competitors,” said Suneet Singh Tuli, president and CEO of DataWind. “It also demonstrates how our transition to local manufacturing and improvements in our sales channels has allowed us to meet the phenomenal demand.”

“Despite these strong numbers, there remains a very large portion of the population in India, like in other developing countries, where hundreds of millions of people are unable to access the Internet due to affordability issues and the lack of network infrastructure,” continued Tuli. “We believe our low-cost tablets and unique mobile Internet connectivity is the only solution on the market that overcomes these obstacles and can bring Internet access to millions of people around the world.”