Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

Sales of tablet personal computers in markets around the world, including Poland, are not going as well as expected, according to data provided by research firm IDG.

Companies are now increasingly offering their tablets – with internet connectivity – via mobile operators, which can offer the devices at low prices, because users agree to pay a subscription for the internet. This allows tablet manufacturers to increase sales quickly.

Thus, T-Mobile will add the Acer Iconia 501 tablet, complete with a 3G module for mobile internet access, to its offer, Dziennik Gazeta Prawna (DGP) reports. Asus will follow suit: It plans to introduce a tablet with 3G access capabilities in the fourth quarter of this year, the newspaper writes. Later this month, meanwhile, DGP says Samsung will introduce its new Galaxy Tab model, which is due to be available through the four major mobile operators on the Polish market.

Cooperating with mobile companies is really the only way to generates tablet sales on a mass scale, Juliusz Niemotko, head of Acer in Poland, told DGP. He also admitted that sale of tablets in Poland are not growing as quickly as anticipated.

Up until now, market researcher GfK Polonia estimated that at least 100,000 tablets would find their way to Polish consumers this year, a figure which increased manufacturers' optimism. Acer itself hoped to sell 40,000 tablets, but has now trimmed expectations to about 10,000, according to Mr Niemotko.

Sales of the technology will no doubt increase, but not as dynamically as the market expected, experts say. It seems that after all, the tablet is not a “must have” among consumers, who prefer to purchase smartphones. According to estimates made by researcher Aegis Media, Poles will purchase an impressive 5.4 million smartphones this year.

Poland AM