A new report by IDC shows that tablets with telephone features (such as the new FonePad 7 we’re testing) are becoming more and more popular in Asia. The devices serve the role of both a tablet and a handset, which is why they’re so popular.
The research company’s Worldwide Quarterly Tablet Tracker report shows that a quarter of the 13.8 million tablets shipped in the Asia/Pacific region had voice telephone features. This stands for about 3.5 million units in the Asian region excluding Japan and this category has grown an impressive 60% from last year, according to IDC. All shipped slates with telephony on board run Google’s Android OS, obviously.
India and Indonesia are two markets with the greatest demand for such products, about 50% of the tablets shipped there being able to make calls over cellular network. Such models are very popular in emerging markets, including Eastern Europe and South America. ASUS, HP and Samsung are tapping into that segment only now, after a ton of Asian companies have done it and some are even going the dual SIM way.
