Mandarin teacher Kendy Tanujaya says his decision to purchase an iPad over other tablet computers was a no-brainer.
“I already had other Apple products, so that made synchronizing them easy,” the 26-year-old told the Jakarta Globe. “I also use the gadgets to help me teach.”
For Cissylia, a 21-year-old student and model, it was more a question of brand appeal.
“It’s made by Apple, so you know it’s bound to be better than the other tablets,” she says.
That might have been true in early 2010, when Apple’s iPad was the only game in town. But with tablets running on Google’s Android operating system now accounting for 30 percent — and rising — of global market share, consumers are flush with choices.
Apple dominates with 61 percent of market share worldwide, although exact figures for Indonesia are not available because of the proliferation of gray-market iPads — devices that were imported into the country well before their local release date.
For the Indonesian market, the real boon will be the host of lower-priced Android tablets made by Asian manufacturers such as Samsung and Acer, says technology blogger Wicaksono.
“I think the focus in the Indonesian market will be price,” he said.
“As long as people can afford it, they’ll buy it. So I think the cheaper the tablet, the better.”
That puts devices such as Samsung’s Galaxy Tab 10.1, widely considered the closest rival to the iPad, in an enviable position. A 16GB Galaxy retails for Rp 5.85 million ($684), while a similarly equipped iPad 2 — with both Wi-Fi and 3G connectivity — sells for Rp 6.5 million. Mid-market tablets like the ASUS Eee Pad Transformer TF101 and Acer Iconia Tab A500 are priced from Rp 4 million to Rp 5 million.
Other than the price, Wicaksono said, consumers base their buying decisions on how they plan to use their tablets and the features available.
Lucky Sebastian, a smartphone enthusiast in Bandung who created the 9,000-member gadget community mailing list Gadtorade (Gadget to Trade) in 2001, agrees Apple’s premium price will hurt it in the Indonesian market.
He says another area where Android tablets can grab market share is the nascent market for smart phone-sized tablets. With screens no larger than 18 centimeters, these devices present a handier alternative for mobile users than 25-centimeter devices such as the iPad and Galaxy Tab.
“At present, there are almost as many Android users in Indonesia as there are iPad users,” Lucky said. Among the latter, he adds, the decision to go for an iPad is often not carefully considered or is simply in response to current trends.
“People tend to buy the most expensive gadgets without considering whether it meets their actual needs,” he said.
“Indonesians think that the more expensive something is, the better it must be. You also have people who buy it because they see other people getting them, and so it becomes a must-have item.”
From his own experience, Lucky said four out of five iPad users do not know how to install apps or transfer music, pictures or other documents to their devices after buying them. They have to rely on sales staff to walk them through the process.
But he acknowledged the appeal of the iPad’s design and build, as well as its ease of use.
“It’s phenomenal — it’s made well and marketed well, and Apple has done very well getting people to want their products,” he said.
So given the array of choices, what should consumers go for? That depends on how they plan to use the device, Lucky said.
For entertainment purposes, he adds, the iPad is the best choice, with half of the more-than-300,000 apps available for it centered on gaming and entertainment.
But for work purposes, Android devices such as the ASUS Eee Pad are more appropriate, given their seamless integration with Google’s suite of services, including Google Docs, and inclusion of a memory card reader for easy data transfer.
Devices like the Eee Pad and the Motorola Xoom also come with optional docking stations that allow users to type on a physical keyboard, as well as USB ports that allow them to connect a variety of devices.
Android’s open-source nature, combined with the fact that tablets running it come in a wide variety of specifications, make these devices more customizable than iPads.
Ultimately, Wicaksono said, both platforms have their advantages and disadvantages and it will be up to the individual user to make the decision that is right for them.
“I already had other Apple products, so that made synchronizing them easy,” the 26-year-old told the Jakarta Globe. “I also use the gadgets to help me teach.”
For Cissylia, a 21-year-old student and model, it was more a question of brand appeal.
“It’s made by Apple, so you know it’s bound to be better than the other tablets,” she says.
That might have been true in early 2010, when Apple’s iPad was the only game in town. But with tablets running on Google’s Android operating system now accounting for 30 percent — and rising — of global market share, consumers are flush with choices.
Apple dominates with 61 percent of market share worldwide, although exact figures for Indonesia are not available because of the proliferation of gray-market iPads — devices that were imported into the country well before their local release date.
For the Indonesian market, the real boon will be the host of lower-priced Android tablets made by Asian manufacturers such as Samsung and Acer, says technology blogger Wicaksono.
“I think the focus in the Indonesian market will be price,” he said.
“As long as people can afford it, they’ll buy it. So I think the cheaper the tablet, the better.”
That puts devices such as Samsung’s Galaxy Tab 10.1, widely considered the closest rival to the iPad, in an enviable position. A 16GB Galaxy retails for Rp 5.85 million ($684), while a similarly equipped iPad 2 — with both Wi-Fi and 3G connectivity — sells for Rp 6.5 million. Mid-market tablets like the ASUS Eee Pad Transformer TF101 and Acer Iconia Tab A500 are priced from Rp 4 million to Rp 5 million.
Other than the price, Wicaksono said, consumers base their buying decisions on how they plan to use their tablets and the features available.
Lucky Sebastian, a smartphone enthusiast in Bandung who created the 9,000-member gadget community mailing list Gadtorade (Gadget to Trade) in 2001, agrees Apple’s premium price will hurt it in the Indonesian market.
He says another area where Android tablets can grab market share is the nascent market for smart phone-sized tablets. With screens no larger than 18 centimeters, these devices present a handier alternative for mobile users than 25-centimeter devices such as the iPad and Galaxy Tab.
“At present, there are almost as many Android users in Indonesia as there are iPad users,” Lucky said. Among the latter, he adds, the decision to go for an iPad is often not carefully considered or is simply in response to current trends.
“People tend to buy the most expensive gadgets without considering whether it meets their actual needs,” he said.
“Indonesians think that the more expensive something is, the better it must be. You also have people who buy it because they see other people getting them, and so it becomes a must-have item.”
From his own experience, Lucky said four out of five iPad users do not know how to install apps or transfer music, pictures or other documents to their devices after buying them. They have to rely on sales staff to walk them through the process.
But he acknowledged the appeal of the iPad’s design and build, as well as its ease of use.
“It’s phenomenal — it’s made well and marketed well, and Apple has done very well getting people to want their products,” he said.
So given the array of choices, what should consumers go for? That depends on how they plan to use the device, Lucky said.
For entertainment purposes, he adds, the iPad is the best choice, with half of the more-than-300,000 apps available for it centered on gaming and entertainment.
But for work purposes, Android devices such as the ASUS Eee Pad are more appropriate, given their seamless integration with Google’s suite of services, including Google Docs, and inclusion of a memory card reader for easy data transfer.
Devices like the Eee Pad and the Motorola Xoom also come with optional docking stations that allow users to type on a physical keyboard, as well as USB ports that allow them to connect a variety of devices.
Android’s open-source nature, combined with the fact that tablets running it come in a wide variety of specifications, make these devices more customizable than iPads.
Ultimately, Wicaksono said, both platforms have their advantages and disadvantages and it will be up to the individual user to make the decision that is right for them.
