Tablets, ultrabooks get cheaper and cheaper

tablet-womanAverage selling prices (ASPs) of Intel based ultrabooks and tablets fell by close to eight percent this year in all markets worldwide.

ABI Research said that household income needed to buy either a tablet or ultrabook fell by 30 percent during the year, giving access to many new households.

The market research company surveyed 22 different countries between 2013 and 2014 and estimates ASPs fell by 8.5 percent for tablets and 7.1 percent for ultrabooks.

The price drops mean a wider range of countries can now afford the gadgets and even though growth is falling for both types of devices, analyst Stephanie Van Vactor said “affordability could help prevent a drastic decline in sales”.

The affordability index is highest for the US, Japan and Germany, but some countries showed a marked decline in prices.  She said Chile, for example, saw a fall in prices of 56 percent for both ultrabooks and tablets.

But India saw an increase in prices of 22 percent for the devices.

Van Vactor estimates we’ll continue to see competition increase and that means prices will once again fall next year.