1. IDC: Apple nearly triples Vietnam tablet growth in Q2
08 Oct 2012
Summary: About 8 in 10 bought an Apple device, driven by pent up demand for new iPad
and a drop in iPad 2's price, which helped extend the Cupertino firm's market share.
A. Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, October 8 2012 – According to IDC's Worldwide Quarterly
Tablet Tracker, the Vietnam tablet market registered an astounding growth of 110% quarter-on-
quarter (QoQ) in Q2. Pent-up demand for Apple's new iPad 3 as well as a slight dip in the price
of the existing iPad 2 contributed to Apple's impressive 170% QoQ jump. Samsung, Apple's
main competitor in the market took a significant hit as consumers switched en masse to
purchasing iPads instead of Galaxy Tabs in Q2.
"While Android vendors have the competitive edge in the local smartphone market, they are
unable to compete with Apple in tablet segment as iPads are widely perceived to be in a league
of their own" said Võ Lê Tâm Thanh, Senior Market Analyst, Client Devices Research at IDC
Vietnam. He continued, "Apple has grown from strength to strength, as it dominates with an all-
time high of 78% of the Q2 tablet market. Its reputation as a premium device continues to
expand its loyal following in Vietnam's brand-conscious consumer market."
Android experienced mild growth in Vietnam's tablet market this quarter although this trend will
be likely eclipsed by the iPad's meteoric rise. The outlook for Android based tablets may be
further affected later this year if the rumours of Apple's iPad mini prove to be true.
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2. B. Vietnam mobile phone Q2 shipment falls amid weaker economy
Summary: Shipment of feature phones and smartphones in the country falls for second
quarter in a row sequentially, as inflation and recession in the economy hold back spending.
Vietnam's mobile phone market has continued to decline along with its economic problems, with
inflation and recession creating a barrier to consumer spending, says IDC.
According to the research firm's Asia-Pacific quarterly mobile phone tracker released Thursday,
the country's mobile phone market experienced a decline of 18 percent in the second quarter of
2012. However, year-on-year it grew 10.9 percent.
The mobile phone shipments had fallen for two quarters, from close to 8 million units in the
fourth quarter of 2011, to 7 million in the first quarter of 2012.
Feature phone shipments too recorded a significant sequential decline of 20.3 percent while
smartphone shipments fell 4.1 percent despite the continued migration to smartphones among
consumers.
The fall is due to the slowdown in consumer purchases in light of inflation and recession in the
country, which has hindered disposable income in Vietnam, IDC said.
Economic problems have created a barrier to consumer spending, but the downward trend should
come to a stop in the second half of 2012, Võ Lê Tâm Thanh, client devices research senior
market analyst at IDC Vietnam observed in the statement.
"While economic uncertainties have dampened enthusiasm somewhat, we still expect the
smartphone market to bounce back strongly in the second of the year as local vendors introduce
more affordable smartphones and carriers reduce prices of 3G data plans," Thanh said.
According to a GfK Asia report in September, Vietnam had been one of the seven key markets in
Southeast Asia where smartphone volume sales had grown the fastest. The region also recorded
the fast increase in market share of smartphones as compared to feature phones.
Source: IDG
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