The first domestic sales of tablet PCs are declining and homogeneity restricts the development of the industry

Recently, according to media reports, Acer may step in the footsteps of Hewlett-Packard and RIM to withdraw from the tablet PC market. Acer held a conference on the 23rd to deny that it plans to withdraw from the tablet PC market and layoffs. Acer said that it will continue to invest in these two types of products in a rational way and reduce the number of products through a simplified method, focusing on a few products.

The adjustment of Acer's Tablet PC strategy shows that tablet PC makers have begun to re-examine the tablet market. In the third quarter of this year, the sales of domestic tablet PCs fell by 8.6% from the previous month. Some people think that the hot panel computer is ebbing or repeating the fate of netbooks. At the same time, many manufacturers are also seeking breakthroughs. As tablet PCs are given more and more business functions, in 2012, tablet PCs will gain greater development beyond the entertainment function.

The sales of domestic tablet PCs are now falling. The iPad launched by Apple brought with it a surge in tablet PC sales. Other manufacturers followed suit, but they faced a difficult sales situation. This year, large manufacturers such as Hewlett-Packard and RIM have decided to close the tablet PC business, which indirectly caused layoffs to the Taiwan foundry Inventec and Quanta.

According to the latest data from the domestic research agency Yiguan Think Tank, in the third quarter of this year, domestic sales of tablet PCs reached 1.566 million units, a decrease of 8.6% from the previous quarter. Behind this reason is the continuous decline in the market share of Apple's iPad tablet PCs, which account for more than 70% of the market share in the domestic tablet PC market, so Apple's trend has affected the overall volatility. It is reported that in the third quarter of this year, Apple iPad tablet PC sales fell by 3.4%.

Not only the domestic market, but also the global market began to appear weak. According to the latest data released by IDC, in the third quarter of this year, the global tablet sales volume was 18.1 million units. Compared with the second quarter of this year, the year-on-year growth rate began to slow down and was lower than market expectations. At the same time, the market share of Apple’s iPad tablet also dropped by 6.8% to 61.5%, and is expected to decline to 59% in the fourth quarter of this year.

The homogeneity of products restricts the development of the industry in the computer field. The phenomenon of product homogenization is particularly serious. From the traditional PC to the notebook, the industry began to pursue innovation, and then one machine and netbook were derived. However, these once-innovative products eventually became a transitional product because of the homogeneity. In particular, netbooks, from the sudden rise to the short-lived performance, have become typical of the industry. Nowadays, tablets seem to be repeating the mistakes of netbooks.

Analyst analyst Wang Ying pointed out that the unclear product positioning and homogenization trend has hindered the continuous development of the market. Users still use tablet computers for games, video and other entertainment functions. From the perspective of changes in sales of non-Apple products, the rate of growth in the third quarter was 19.3%, which was much lower than the 64.8% in the second quarter. Product competition does not exceed the limitations of brands and hardware. Consumers' cognition of this type of products depends more on the development and promotion of Apple products.

"Lenovo Pad, HP TouchPad, Asus Eee Pad and other tablet computers not only look the same, even the name did not get rid of Apple's shadow." Experts pointed out that the current Apple's single-largest situation makes it difficult for competitors to launch a In hardware, marketing, software, and content, iPads can rival tablet PCs, resulting in repeated product iterations and price wars. As consumers gradually tend to be rational, the degree of attention to such products will also decline. By then, tablet computers are likely to go the old path of the Internet.

Wang Zhentang, chairman of Acer, believes that tablet computers are mainly used for entertainment purposes and are different from notebooks used for work and study. Once the tablet PC market is saturated, the enthusiasm of consumers to upgrade is lower than that of notebooks. Therefore, tablet PC sales will stagnate after reaching a certain level.

Development of flat-panel market needs to seek new breakthroughs From the perspective of Acer’s adjustment organization, it is clear that Acer has realized that the development trend of tablet PC M-shape has been shaped, high-end products will be packaged by Apple, low-end will be monopolized by Amazon, and the rest The middle market will be the most competitive area. Acer will adjust its strategy at this time and hopes to specialize in profitable products. Although short-term organizational adjustments are detrimental to the Group's operations, the legal person thinks that Acer will make adjustments immediately and it will also show heavy weight. The determination of the operation of the array.

Acer's adjustment is the epitome of many tablet manufacturers to explore Apple's gap. As we all know, the reason why the iPad is loved by thousands, in addition to convenient Internet access, touch fashion, rich game performance is particularly critical, but relative to the PC platform, its game performance is still lacking. According to legend, the iPad 3 will further increase the screen resolution and add 3D HD support.

In addition to the use of games and entertainment, in the business office applications, the user's demand for tablet computers is also an objective reality. If the tablet computer market is to be bigger, the further satisfaction of the user needs of the market segments is also a prerequisite for differentiation. IDC research director Tom Mannelli said: “Amazon and Barnes & Noble Books are bringing reforms to the tablet PC market. Their success will prove that users are eager for other products besides the iPad. Nevertheless, I completely believe that Apple’s The highest sales volume in history will be achieved in the fourth quarter and more progress will be made outside the consumer market in 2012, especially in the corporate and education markets."

We believe that as the tablet PC market matures, these problems will be solved, and there will be demand for many subdivided areas. The key to whether or not they can occupy a place lies in whether the manufacturers can explore more subdivided market demands based on their respective areas of focus and maximize their advantages.