And the iPad goes marching on: Apple and the tablet market in India

The iPad is truly the benchmark product. Almost every tablet that is launched is invariably measured against the iPad. The question buyers always have about any other tablet is: “is it as good as the iPad?” And it does look like the iPad is selling quite a lot in India. A recent report by CyberMedia Research (CMR) indicates that Apple registered 34% Y-o-Y growth in Q2, 2022. Further, Apple is the second biggest player in the Indian tablet market in Q2, 2022, behind Lenovo which remains the market leader.
“In Q2 2022, Apple iPads registered a strong growth momentum, with Apple iPad (Gen 9) and iPad Air 2022 accounting for a majority of the iPad shipments,” says Prabhu Ram, head – Industry Intelligence Group at CMR.
An iPad at every price point
Apple now has quite a robust lineup of iPads in India. There’s the entry-level 9th generation iPad — which by the way is the best-selling iPad in India — which starts at Rs 30,900 but can be snagged for a slightly lower price on e-commerce platforms. It’s this iPad which drives the growth and momentum for Apple as not only it’s the most affordable iPad but also one of the ‘cheapest’ entry points in the hallowed Apple ecosystem. Apple shipped close to 2 lakh iPads in Q2, 2022 out of which 52% of shipments were accounted for by the 9th-gen entry-level iPad. The entry-level iPad has become the obvious choice for buyers as the tablet is still seen as a companion device. As Ram explains, “Tablets continue to be key as companion devices for hybrid work, education and entertainment,” and the entry-level iPad is the near-perfect companion for most first-time buyers. It’s guaranteed to get software updates for at least five years, it is relatively affordable and has the aspirational value of an Apple product.

While the 9th-gen iPad may be bringing in the numbers, Apple has looked beyond it and cleverly positioned the various iPad models. If you look closely at various iPad models and variants, there’s an iPad available at every Rs 10,000 difference. Don’t want the entry-level iPad because it’s big? No problem, there’s the iPad mini, which starts at Rs 46,900 — about Rs 6,000 more than the Wi-Fi + Cellular variant of the 9th-gen iPad. That’s too small for you? Worry not as next up is the iPad Air — which starts at Rs 54,900 and is the second most popular iPad model in India. The iPad Air (2022) is also the most affordable product with Apple’s M1 processor that you can buy.
If the iPad Air doesn’t satiate your need for a powerful iPad, then there’s the iPad Pro (11-inch) which starts at Rs 71,900. So between Rs 30,000-Rs 72,000), you can get four types of iPads — each meant for a different kind of buyer and each model
Competition getting its act together
Samsung has upped its game with both premium and entry-level offerings. Citing IDC’s research report, Samsung claimed that it led the tablet market in India, both in volume as well as value terms, during Q1, 2022. The Tab A8 — entry-level — series, according to Samsung had done well as well as the Tab S8 series on the other end of the price spectrum. Lenovo, which is the current market leader according to CMR, too has multiple offerings. Xiaomi, Oppo, and Realme have all entered the tablet market in the last 12 months or so. Rumours about OnePlus entering the market have been doing the rounds as well.
Apple didn’t have it easy earlier also but the iPad enjoys a certain brand loyalty as well. iPad users find it rather difficult to switch to any other tablet. One reason was that there weren’t many choices but now perhaps Android buyers who want a tablet may be tempted to look at other options. CMR estimates, however, suggest that Apple iPad could garner a 20% market share in 2022.
A report by The Economic Times revealed that Apple India’s revenues had soared to “a five-year high of 68% in the fiscal year ended March 2021 to Rs 22,845 crore, while net profit rose 32% to Rs 1,226 crore from the previous fiscal year.” Those are impressive numbers and going forward, the iPad may significantly contribute to them in India.