Technology

Chinese clones outpace iPad in Kenyan market

handbook

The Chinese MID Handbook Computer. Photo/GOOGLE.COM

The iPad, apple computer’s hottest selling gadget, is headed for a hard landing when it officially arrives in the Kenyan market that is stealthily getting swamped with clones from China.

In recent months, as the ipad hit European and Asian markets, Chinese imitators have landed in the Kenyan market with the clones that have become a hit with hundreds of consumers hungry to lay their hands on a gadget they have only interacted with on-line.

Different brands of the clones are being sold in Nairobi’s grey market with the vendors reporting different degrees of success.

There is the MiD that is smaller but as gisty as the real thing and the Cynovo that is a replica of the iPad in size but different in appearance.

Pricing is a key determinant of buying decisions in a developing consumer market such as Kenya’s and the presence of a cheaper version of any good or service tends to upset the demand and supply dynamics in a way that supports or hurts the sales of any gadget.

In some countries, the much cheaper clones have been seen as introductory gadgets that are necessary in a market like Kenya’s where computer literacy and purchasing power are low.

“Their impact is to introduce users to skills that are necessary to operate new gadgets such as the iPad,” said Ramesh Dave, a Nairobi software designer.

In mature markets however, cheap clones and counterfeits are seen to delay the take-up of devices such as the iPad, hurting sales in the long term.

specs

The iPad, the portable flat tablet-like touch-screen computer that allows readers to access the Internet, was launched early this year, and had sold one million pieces by end of last month.

It is expected to hit the Kenyan market in October.

Touted as the device that is to change the way readable Internet content will be accessed in future, industry trackers say the gadget could be in Kenya by September.

“What the iPod - a portable music device - did for music, we see the iPad doing for books, magazines and possibly newspapers,” said Riyaz Kurji, the managing director of Elite Apple Centre, the only official distributor of Apple products.

But even as Kenyans await the iPad’s arrival, the precision with which marketers of the clones are attacking the market is pointing to a battle for market control with Apple, the iPad’s maker.

Globally, trouble for the iPad is not coming solely from the East.

Apple’s archrival Microsoft, announced earlier this week that it is teaming up with nearly two dozen hardware makers to release Windows-based tablet computers.

Mr Steve Ballmer, the Microsoft chief executive, said the devices would be loosely modelled on the iPad but will unlike it ride on an open market sales model.

“This year one of the most important things that we will do in the smart device category is really push forward with Windows 7-based slates and Windows 7 phones. Over the course of the next several months you will see a range of Windows 7-based slates,” Mr Ballmer said at the Microsoft Worldwide Partner Conference.

Blackberry, another of Apple’s rivals, is also said to be developing its own tablet device to rival the iPad.

In Kenya, however, the competition is likely to come from retailers of China’s grey imports.

The key selling point is their pricing at a tenth of the iPad’s Sh87,000 tag.

In addition, a number of electronics retailers have imported the iPad from other markets and are selling it for Sh75,000, although they do not offer warranties or any other benefits to buyers.

Apple has traditional used a phased roll-out plan for the sales of its devices, preferring to roll them out in individual markets in small clusters.

It has completed that process in parts of Europe and is expected to turn to the Middle East and Africa next.

Unlike its cousin the iPhone, sales of the iPad will be independently managed by Apple’s official distributor chain and will not be affiliated to any network.

Users of the iPhone who purchase their devices locally have had to sign contract agreements with Telkom Kenya, who hold sole rights to the phone in Kenya.

In June, Apple announced that it had sold its three millionth iPad, just 80 days after its introduction in the US.

The iPad allows users to connect with their apps, content and the Internet in a more intuitive way than ever before.

“People are loving iPad as it becomes a part of their daily lives,” said Steve Jobs, Apple’s CEO.

“We’re working hard to get this magical product into the hands of even more people around the world, including those in nine more countries next month.”

Developers have created over 11,000 exciting new apps for iPad that take advantage of its Multi-Touch user interface, large screen and high-quality graphics.

iPad will run almost all of the more than 225,000 apps on the App Store, including apps already purchased for the iPhone or iPod touch.

Users can browse the web, read and send email, enjoy and share photos, watch HD videos, listen to music, play games and read ebooks using the device.

The iPad is 0.5 inches thin and weighs just 1.5 pounds—thinner and lighter than any laptop or netbook—and delivers up to 10 hours of battery life under optimal settings.