Skip to main content

Android market in India



- Saurabh Sharma, Country Manager, Spire Research and Consulting 



India can easily be considered as an Android country since 91% of its market share belongs to devices using Google’s mobile operating system. It is an open-source, Linux-based operating system designed specifically for smartphones and computer tablets. This facilitates easy accessibility for programmers to provide enhanced services as well as improve the core functionality of the device. According to statistics, the Android platform has breached 80% market share globally in the third quarter of 2013.

With 40 million smartphones in the country, Indian users have an easy access to smartphones to stay connected online. With more consumers wanting to get their hands on smartphones and computer tablets, this has unsurprisingly pushed for the dominance of Androids across markets. Moreover, Androids is adopted by all major smartphone players in India – local players such as Karbonn and Micromax, as well as Chinese players such as Huawei and ZTE have jumped on the bandwagon. It is plain to see that this strong adoption from industry players is the main driver in Androids dominating the Indian smartphones market in 2013.

One of the biggest smartphone players, Samsung, has singlehandedly contributed to approximately 40% of the total 211.6 million smartphone shipments worldwide in 2013. It is currently holding on to 79.3% share in the global smartphone market. However, it also faces stiff competition from Apple in the USD450 segment, where both giants are vying over 80% volume share. Besides, the local Indian players are also creating a competitive environment in the low and mid-tiers segments.


The rise of Androids

The Android market is most popular with users under 25 years of age (50%). The rise of Androids in India can be attributed to the accessibility of low-priced smartphones that are equipped with a wide range of features, as well as the availability of cheaper data plans offered by service providers. The price of Android smartphones typically fall between the range of INR3,000 and INR45,000; propelling their reach to a wide audience. Besides, the increasing comfort level in using the open-source operating system amongst programmers has also led to Androids’ growth.

Another factor contributing to its escalating popularity is the rise IN THE AVAILABILITY AND DIVERSITY OF Android-based applications. According to research, games is the most popular category among paid apps, with nearly 3 out of 5 users (58%) paying for games. Other popular paid apps categories include chat/instant messaging apps (53%) and streaming music apps (45%).


What lies ahead?

India and China will add over 400 million smartphone users by 2014 – comprising half of the total that will emerge in 47 countries across the globe. It is predicted that India will gain 200 million smartphone users and surge ahead of the US; making it the second country with the highest smartphone penetration in the world.

With these developments, marketers have to arm themselves with technologically advanced devices that offer value-added features to lure the 200 million potential smartphones users in India. As consumers become more tech-savvy by the day, there is a compelling need for industry players to understand the market and be innovative in their product offering to secure their share in the smartphone market.

Links to coverage: 


Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Spire Client Entertainment Night December 2019

Spire Singapore hosted its third client entertainment event of the year. Business associates, partners and clients joined the Spire team for the dinner reception followed by the movie screening of “Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker (Episode IX)”- the much awaited last movie in the Star Wars saga. The final installment in the Star Wars saga revolved around the epic battle between Jedi and Sith. The movie featured most of the key characters from the earlier Episodes 4 to 6. The highly awaited Star Wars final chapter, delectable food and even better company made for a great evening. Read more:  https://www.spireresearch.com/newsroom/events/spire-client-entertainment-night-december-2019/

Digital technology set to boost corporate productivity

The demand for digital technology is on the rise. How are industry players catering to changing technology needs? Jeffrey Bahar, Deputy Chief Executive Officer of Spire Research and Consulting, shared his insights in Kompas – Mega Bazaar – a leading newspaper in Indonesia. Digital technology enhances the way we work. In the digital realm, productivity takes precedence – especially in the corporate segment. Technology and features that accompany a device are always changing, encouraging innovations along the way. Bahar opined that IT spending worldwide is about 2-3% of the total revenue of all of the companies in the world. The banking and financial industry in Indonesia has a higher level of IT spending when compared to the average in other industries. This is where Lenovo – the number one PC manufacturer globally – seems to understand the changing demands from society. It constantly innovates – with its latest edition in the multimode devices under the business segment. ...

Spire speaks at Indonesia Ocean Investment Summit 2014 on aquaculture opportunities

Indonesia is the world’s ninth largest aquaculture producer. What business prospects lie in Indonesia’s aqua farming industry? Spire Research and Consulting was honored to be a speaker at the Indonesia Ocean Investment Summit 2014 in Jakarta, on behalf of the Norwegian Embassy. The event aimed at exploring sustainable fishery and maritime industrial development opportunities in Indonesia. At the event, Erwin Widjaja, Director, Indonesia of Spire Research and Consulting, spoke about aqua farming and the untapped opportunities in this industry. Fisheries activities need to be developed in order to provide national food security and reduce poverty. He shared that Indonesia’s fisheries extend to an impressive 5.8 million km – three-quarters of the entire national territory. Widjaja commented that opportunities in aqua farming are abundant. Indonesia is at an advantage because 76% of its surface area is under the Equatorial Ocean. There is an increasing demand for high-value fish ...

India Is Well-Poised to Lead the Global API Industry

Despite the uncertain global economic climate, the growth momentum for generic drug spending will continue says Catherine Tang, Biomedical industry practice leader for the Spire Research and Consulting. Its share of total drug spending is set to increase. Demand growth, primarily from emerging markets, is being accelerated by healthcare reforms in the major developed markets of USA and Europe; as well as impending patent cliffs, where some USD 75 billion worth of drugs go off patent between 2012 and 2015. This presents new potential for manufacturers of API and drug intermediates (active pharmaceutical ingredients and excipient components used in generic formulations) in India.  India is well-poised in the global API industry, but headwinds from higher export barriers and increased pharma co-vigilance are major threats that will inevitably raise production costs and erode margins. To retain its pole position in the competitive generic market and claim blue sky space, API ma...