Digitimes Research: Asustek and Apple are top-2 tablet vendors in Japan market

Hana Hu, DIGITIMES Research, Taipei

Asustek Computer and Apple are currently the top-2 tablet vendors in Japan. In terms of operating system, Google and Apple led the tablet market in Japan with Android and iOS together accounting for 94.4% of the sales in January-October 2013.

Toshiba launched its Dynabook Tab VT484 on November 21, 2013 and is the first Japan-based vendor to have released Windows 8-based tablets. With the release of Windows 8.1 in December, more Windows-based tablets are expected to be available. Since 8-inch Windows-based tablets have already stimulated some demand in Japan, Digitimes Research expects Windows' share in Japan's tablet market, which totals less than 5% currently, to increase.

Meanwhile, the digital camera market in Japan has seen DSLR shipments grow, but the global digital camera market remains sluggish.

Canon and Nikon have recently reduced their global shipment estimates for digital compact cameras (DSCs) for 2013 to eight million and 6.2 million units, respectively. Canon shipped 8.2 million DSCs and Nikon 6.98 million in 2012.

Canon also reduced its global DSLR camera sales target for 2013 to below the previous year's level. Japan-based second-tier DSC vendors have turned their focuses to mirrorless interchangeable-lens camera (MILC) models, which are mainly for the doemstic market.