You know everyone who said that the iPad was a pointless device? How wrong they’ve been proven. According to the analysts at Telsyte, Australians have bought more tablets in the first five months of this year than all of year combined, with Apple unsurprisingly leading the charge.
Telsyte expects Australians to buy 1.2 million tablets in 2011 combined – a hell of a lot for a population of 23 million. The analysts also expect Apple to retain the lion’s share of the market at 71%, with everybody else fighting for the remaining 29%.
The study also claims that telcos could do better by giving users a shared cap plan between smartphone and tablet, allowing customers to use data across multiple devices on a single account. That would be awesome, don’t you think?
But either way, it seems that the tablet market is only just beginning to take off…
[Telsyte]
Sam
Tuesday, June 14, 2011 at 2:22 PMIf one of the telcos offered a decent phone and tablet combo plan I’d probably jump on board immediately
Phil
Wednesday, June 15, 2011 at 4:31 PMGet an iPhone and use your personal wireless hotspot. Magic, shared data plan and save some money and just get a non 3G iPad. Not many people are out and about with an iPad but without their phone so it’s no big deal. And you don’t have to take your iPhone out of your pocket to do it.
Dr Nic
Tuesday, June 14, 2011 at 2:23 PMThat doesn’t mean they’re not pointless, it just means we’re buying them. c.f. Beanie Babies, Troll Dolls, Calculator Watches etc.
Tris
Tuesday, June 14, 2011 at 3:01 PMGlad I wasn’t the only one thinking this.
Damo
Tuesday, June 14, 2011 at 3:45 PMI run my business 80% from an ipad in a manner that would be impossible from a desktop and inconvenient on a laptop – so I see the point.
moey
Tuesday, June 14, 2011 at 6:16 PMshut down your business
bazuden
Tuesday, June 14, 2011 at 4:30 PMI totally agree. I got an iPad free through work, and the best thing about it is that I can still get Wifi connection with it when I’m sitting on the upstairs toilet.
Nick
Tuesday, June 14, 2011 at 5:02 PMAgree, I bought an ipad recently only to replace my laptop as the ipad is slightly more portable than the laptop. I can live with or without, when I’m out a smartphone is enough for all my needs. I still agree that its probably last decade’s most pointless devices providing that its not a complete laptop replacement and it’s too big to be or replace a phone
Steve
Tuesday, June 14, 2011 at 6:16 PMHow dare you imply troll dolls are pointless! My yo-yo, pogo stick, tamagotchi, scooter, furby, pet rock and sea monkeys will prove you wrong!
TC
Tuesday, June 14, 2011 at 2:42 PMIsn’t a shared cap plan essentially what is available via iphone’s new wifi hotspot option? Actually, a question regarding that, would an ipad use more data then iphone when browsing?
Gazman
Tuesday, June 14, 2011 at 3:20 PMActually its better. Why have both when you can just use your smartphones data cap?
TC
Tuesday, June 14, 2011 at 3:52 PMsorry i wasn’t clear, i meant if you connect an ipad to the iphone’s data via hotspot, does the ipad use more then the iphone would?
Gazman
Tuesday, June 14, 2011 at 4:13 PMWell it would depend on what you’re doing on the iPad. If you’re viewing HD video, or viewing full versions websites then yes you would.
TC
Tuesday, June 14, 2011 at 4:41 PMThanks dude.
Jordan
Wednesday, June 15, 2011 at 1:18 AMwifi tethering can be rather taxing on your phone’s battery life, also having both on the same plan means you wouldn’t have the need to bring both devices if you were only going to be using one.
Steve
Tuesday, June 14, 2011 at 6:17 PMI think ideally, a shared data plan can have 2 devices using the same cap. ie you can carry your 3G tablet without your phone tethering without requiring a second data plan.
Stefan
Tuesday, June 14, 2011 at 4:29 PMfaa australians i rekon are the biggest sheep
villainsoft
Tuesday, June 14, 2011 at 4:38 PMI have to say that laptops really are yesterdays news. I wouldnt use a laptop to replace my high-end PC, nor would I use a laptop to replace my ultra-portable tablet.
There is still a place for laptops, but not with me.
Steve
Tuesday, June 14, 2011 at 6:19 PMYou’re in the minority. Desktops are increasingly the domain of power users and gamers. Most people are buying large laptops as desktop replacements now, and using either a tablet/netbook as their secondary device.
Leon
Tuesday, June 14, 2011 at 7:36 PMOnly one truckload ?
Scott
Tuesday, June 14, 2011 at 9:16 PMIts a big truck.
Kerry
Wednesday, June 15, 2011 at 9:07 AMI believe Optus Business already offers shared data plans – ie: share the data between your mobile and mobile broadband data sim. I signed up to this about 2 months ago and between my mobile and my mobile broadband – I get 3GB of data to share…
Bogus Jimmy
Wednesday, June 15, 2011 at 2:46 PMTelstra Business already offer shared mobile broadband plans (and have for years) but the pricing is out of whack. It’s actually cheaper to run individual services (e.g. $119 total for 9GB shared amongst 2 people or $49 each/$98 total for 7GB each/14GB total as individual services).
http://www.telstrabusiness.com/business/portal/online/site/productsservices/sharedplans.44019