The Covid pandemic has helped buoy the tablet and PC market amid a shift to working from home (WFH), more remote learning and entertainment uses such as gaming.
This has resulted in 3.4 million tablets and 4.1 million computer PCs being sold across Australia in 2020, up 12 percent and 14 percent respectively compared to a year ago, according to research by analyst outfit Telsyte.
The Telsyte Australian Tablet Computer Market Study 2021 found three in five people, or 38 percent, in the Australian workforce now have a dedicated space to work from home (38pc); faster Internet (31pc); additional computer monitors (22pc); and ergonomic chairs (21pc).
The top three vendors for 2020 – Apple, Samsung and Microsoft – had combined sales reaching nearly 85 percent of the Australian tablet market.
The study found the tablet replacement cycle was fuelled by the pandemic, as consumers spent more time at home during 2020.
The humble PC returned to the market in 2020, with Telsyte research finding 67pc of computer sales were notebooks, up three percent from 2019, as Australians continued to favour the flexibility of laptop form factors over desktops.
Sales of Apple’s Mac computers increased by 16 percent in 2020. Windows computers also saw double-digit growth in sales, increasing by 14pc. Of the 4.1 million computers sold in 2020, the majority (84pc) were Windows-based devices, Telsyte says.
Computers remain the primary device for Australians when it comes to entertainment and other online activities online such as online shopping.
