Apple’s iPad is the number one tablet in China but its position will be challenged by new tablets from Motorola, Lenovo and Dell. Last month, Lenovo launched the LePad, which means Happy Pad from its Chinese to English translation. Motorola will release the Xoom in June and Dell will bring out the 5 inch Streak in China before the month ends.
The Lenovo LePad was first available for purchase from online shops but it is now appearing on shelves of retail outlets across China. Apple’s iPad still dominates the Chinese market, although the second generation of the tablet is not available in the country yet.
Apple enjoys a 78 percent market share with the remaining 22 percent goes to Samsung and other tablet brands. Last year, 600,000 tablet units were sold in China and the number is estimated to increase to 4.5 million units in 2011. Apple also dominates the global tablet market with 73 percent of the market share.
Lenovo is a well-known brand in China and already has a vast distribution network in the country. On top of that, the company is the top PC seller in China. It plans to make the LePad available in 5,000 retail stores in 400 cities all over China within April.
