Technology in South Africa has been embraced in the last year as in a period between June 2012 to May 2013 the volume of tablets entering the country has increased to more than twice compared to the year before, with Android OS devices representing more than half its market.
Craig Fleischer, the director of mobile communications at Samsung in South Africa, is responsible for these findings. He said that the tables are fast becoming the device of choice among the residents when it comes to mobility.
“During the first quarter, Samsung has maintained strong position in the mobile supplier race, with great strides made in capturing market share during this period,” Fleischer says. “This achievement can be attributed to Samsung’s continued innovation and flexible approach to consumer needs. This adaptability is underpinned by the variety of screen sizes, hardware options and value-added service offerings available across the range.”
The Samsung director believed that Samsung has produced a product portfolio that caters for a multitude of consumer and enterprise requirements unlike its competitors who focus on one-size-fits all.
The TouchWiz user interface overlaying Android, he says provides a consistent look and feel across Samsung devices as well as meeting consumer needs for personalized and relevant applications and services.
Fleischer also thought that the 7 and 8 inches tables have receive a good response recently because of their miniature nature.
He also noted that new entrants in this space are creating a competitive pricing environment which is changing the market dynamic for leading brands.
In addition to all this, he added that Wi-Fi functionality demand has grown tremendously.
Education too has contributed to the immense growth of tablet device usage, says Fleischer. He said that Samsung supports a variety of initiatives within the education sector by carefully identifying and nurturing relationships with learning institutions, content providers and operators.
Some of the initiatives that Samsung has involved itself in the education sector include Samsung’s Smart School and Solar Powered Internet School programs have been awarded benchmark status by a number of education departments and private school groups.