Alex Wolfgram, DIGITIMES [Monday 14 January 2013]
In the third quarter of 2012, the Japan mobile device market, including PCs, smartphones, tablets, mobile cards, and personal routers, grew 25.6% on quarter, shipping 13.56 million units compared with the 10.8 million units shipped during the same period in 2011, according to research firm International Data Corporation (IDC). Additionally,IDC said shipments in the fourth quarter of 2012 are expected to reach 14.95 million units, representing growth of 20.9% on year, due to strong demand for smartphones and tablets.
Fujitsu captured the largest market share and gained the number one spot for the first time in the third quarter on shipments of 2.74 million smartphones and PCs domestically. Apple, which has maintained a good reputation with strong branding, dropped down to the number two position despite shipping 2.54 million units in the quarter. On the basis of strong Xperia sales, Sony came in third ahead of Sharp and Lenovo group, said IDC.
In Japan's smartphone market, shipments reached 7.97 million units in the third quarter for strong on-year growth of 50.2%, accounting for 58.8% of total mobile device shipments domestically. In addition, the launch of the iPhone 5 at the end of September 2012 was another factor boosting smartphone unit shipments. From a smartphone OS-based perspective, Android remained dominant as its share went up to 74.9%, well ahead of its rival iOS, added IDC.
IDC also noted the tablet market showed much better results in the third quarter with triple-digit growth of 106.8% compared to the same time period in the previous year. The reason for this growth is that some mobile operators had a strong push for the shipment of Long Term Evolution (LTE)-based tablets to extend the market size, offering better new product lineups and more sales incentives for users, particularly those categorized as "beginners". From a domestic OS standpoint, Android tablet took a 46.4% share of the market and gained the top position for the first time since 2010, outpacing iOS, which had been dominant the previous years on both a unit share and revenue basis.
Additionally, smartphone and media tablet markets in Japan are expected to see double-digit growth in 2013, particularly in the tablet market. Moreover, new products, such as the smaller and lighter iPad mini, could be a driving force to further expand demand.
In IDC's 2014-2016 forecast, the Japan smartphone market is expected to reach to 38.06 million units in 2016, while the tablet market will surge to 7.8 million units in 2016 from about four million as of late December 2012.
| 
