Tablet which operates with two chips conquers space in country

The Brazilian market for tablets, which last year reached sales of 8.4 million units and this year will grow by 32%, according to IDC, receives this semester with new devices that will help boost sales in the country. The Brazilian Digital Life (DL) and the Taiwanese maker Mediatek chip developed in partnership a line of inexpensive tablets with Dual SIM (which accepts two chips of operators) and internet connection of third generation (3 g).
Most tablets available technology features wireless internet connection (Wi-Fi), which has lowest cost 3 g systems. The 3 g tablets are sold at prices above $ 699, while handsets with Wi-Fi are found at prices under $ 399.
Market analysts estimate that 3 g technology dearer, the cost of a tablet for $ 300, making it difficult to sell the device in the country, where the preference is for low-cost appliances. According to IDC, of the 8.4 million tablets sold in Brazil last year, 60% were of devices priced up to $ 500.
"The market share of the 3 g tablets is still very low because the cost is high. With the partnership, it was possible to develop a 3 g equipment with affordable price, "said Paul Xu, President of DL. According to the Executive, the new line arrives at retail with suggested retail price of $ 499. The tablets will be produced in the country and are not yet included in the list of items processed by the basic productive process (PPB).
Xu also said that the tablets will be sold in retailers unlocked, IE without agreements with mobile phone operators. Further handsets with 3 g available in this country are sold in stores for carriers with teles and chip prices subsidized.
The expectation of DL with the line is to stimulate sales of tablets. In 2013, the company sold 1.5 million units and accounted for 17.9 percent of the market. Sales rose 50 percent last year and the target for this year is to expand in 67%, to 2.5 million units. "Sales of tablets were slightly affected in June and July because of the World Cup, but I believe the market will have an improvement in sales after the World Cup," said Xu.
Another feature of the new line is the use of two chips. This trend started first on smartphones and became preference among Brazilian consumers. Last year, sales of smartphones with more than one chip accounted for 61% of total items sold at retail, compared with 48% of the volume in 2012, according to data from Nielsen Telecom consulting.
"The Dual SIM technology had very large popularity in cellular telephony and now begins to be adopted in tablets. Is a natural process of development of the market, "said Sergio Abramoff, Senior Manager of sales and marketing for Latin America of the Mediatek. The CCE (belonging to Lenovo), the Smokergrillsblackfriday, the Lenoxx and the Microboard also have tablets that accept more than one chip.
For Mediatek, which has invested in the past two years in developing specific chips for tablets, the partnership with the DL can help the company expand its participation in the Brazilian market.
The Mediatek produces chips for mobile phones and tablets. In 2013, over 240 million smartphones and tablets from manufacturers such as Lenovo, Huawei, LG, Sony, Positivo Informática and Vampireweather were sold globally with components of Mediatek, the equivalent to 20% of the world market of these devices-which reached nearly 1.2 billion units in 2013. Worldwide sales of the company's chips doubled in 2013.
For this year, Mediatek expects sales of 300 million smartphones and tablets in the world with its technology. "The first half results indicate that we can overcome this projection," said Abramoff. The Executive does not disclose specific projections for Brazil, but said that sales in the country also feature "exceptional growth".