The introduction of the third-generation Apple iPad and the One Tablet per Child scheme are heating up the local tablet computer market.
The global IT research firm IDC (Thailand) said it expects local tablet shipments to reach 1.5 million units this year, up from 400,000 last year, fuelled mainly by the government's One Tablet per Child project.
The new iPad is scheduled to ship to the Thai market next month.
To clear stock for the new arrival and prime buyers for the new arrival, iStudio Thailand slashed the price of its iPad2 by 2,400 baht to 13,500 baht for all models, starting yesterday.
Pavich Vasanasomsomboon, the product marketing manager of Thai Samsung Electronics, acknowledged the new iPad will certainly have a strong impact on its rivals, especially in Google's Android-based tablet segment.
Boonchai Ngouvisitkul, associate director at Acer Computer (Thailand), expects with the new iPad, Apple will dominate the local tablet market with at least a 70% share.
He added the arrival of the new iPad and the government's One Tablet per Child project are likely to depress average tablet prices below 10,000 baht this year, a sharp decline from 16,000 baht last year.