Applications
India Tablet shipments sluggish in Q1 2016: International Data Corporation
New Delhi: According to International Data Corporation (IDC),Indian tablet market in CY Q12016 remained flat over previous quarter with total shipments of 0.86 million units (including slate and detachable form factors). However, shipments grew by a marginal 1.3 percent over the same period last year. Declining consumer interest in the slate tablet form factor and rapid growth of large screen smartphones (phablets) causing the tablet market to slow down.
Detachables traction continued in Q1 2016 with triple digit year-over-year growth, although it was on low base as uptake in this form factor began mainly from Q2 2016.“Windows based detachables continue to account over 70 percent share, however Apple’s recent foray into this segment has garnered them to clock decent numbers given the premium price of their products. Although, continued long-term success may prove challenging as it plays inhigher entry price pointand iOS is yet to prove its enterprise-readiness unlike Microsoft”says,Karthik J, Senior Market Analyst, IDC India.
Micromax continued to leaddetachables category accounting for more than one-third oftotal shipments in Q1 2016.“Smartphone vendors constitute more than half of detachables. Their strong understanding of mobile ecosystem and the volume achieved from their smartphone product lines would allow them to aggressively compete in this new computing segment”, adds Karthik.
Datawind: Datawind withstood its top position with 27.6 percentage share as shipment grew at a healthy 33.5 percent over previous quarter. Vendor’s shipments doubled year-on-year showing a sharp trajectory in last one year. Vendor’s television channel partners played pivotal role in this quarter’s growth through their aggressive marketing and selling during mid-quarter.
Samsung: Samsung sustained its 2nd place with vendor share of 15.2 percentage in Q1 2016. Shipments dipped marginally by 3.7 percent over previous quarter but grew 5.1 percent over Q1 2015. Entry level Galaxy Tab models continue to be volume runners for Samsung in Slate tablets. However, vendor began to face stiff competition in premium detachable segment from Apple and Microsoft in Q1 2016.
Lenovo: Lenovo being the only PC vendor in Top 5 moved up to 3rd position in Q1 2016 with a market share of 13.6 percentage. Q1 2016 shipment grew at a healthy 30.5 percent over the same period last year while dipped marginallyover Q4 2015. While commercial segment continued to drive volumes for the vendor, its new product Phab saw some healthy shipments in consumer segment.
Micromax: Micromax slipped to 4th place as shipments dip further in Q1 2016 by 27 percentover previous quarter to hold themarket share of 11.3 percentage. However, vendor managed to post 16.2 percent growth over the same period last year owing to healthy contribution from its Laptab detachable.
iBall: iBall manages to be in Top 5 with vendor share of 8.7 percentage in Q1 2016. iBall shipments dip approximately by 12 percentage both sequentially and year-on-year. While the vendor was one of the first few who introduced low cost detachables in the Indian market, it has somewhere lost out opportunity to capitalizethe growth in detachable category.
IDC India Forecast:
Tablet market in CY 2016 is expected to be stagnant in India but is likely to witnesschanging trends like healthy growth in commercial segment, migration to higher screen slate tablets and increase in adoption of 4G based tablets.
“Detachables are expected to ramp upswiftly with majority traction coming from affordable windows based devices. Also, with Apple launching iPad pro 9.7, iOS is likely to gain share in detachables category this year”, says Navkendar Singh, Senior Research Manager, IDC India.
Applications
With 57 per cent single new users, Ashley Madison rebrands as discreet dating platform
Platform says majority of new members now identify as single
INDIA: Ashley Madison is shedding the “married-dating” label that defined it for two decades, repositioning itself as a platform for discreet dating in what it calls the post-social media age.
The rebrand, unveiled in India on 27 February, 2026, marks a structural shift in business model and identity. Once synonymous with married dating, the company now describes itself as the “premier destination for discreet dating” under a new tagline: Where Desire Meets Discretion.
The pivot is data-driven. Internal figures show that 57 per cent of global sign-ups between 1 January and 31 December, 2025 identified as single: a notable departure from the platform’s married core. The company argues that its community has already evolved beyond its original positioning.
“In an age where our lives have been constantly put on public display, privacy has become the new luxury,” said Ashley Madison chief strategy officer Paul Keable. He framed the platform’s offering as “ethical discretion” for singles, separated, divorced and non-monogamous users seeking private connections.
The shift also taps into wider digital fatigue. A global survey conducted by YouGov for Ashley Madison, covering 13,071 adults across Australia, Brazil, Canada, Germany, India, Italy, Mexico, Spain, Switzerland, the UK and the US, found mounting discomfort with hyper-public online lives.
Among dating app users, 30 per cent cited constant swiping and messaging as a source of fatigue, while 24 per cent pointed to pressure to curate public-facing profiles and early personal disclosure. Some 27 per cent said fears of screenshots or information being shared contributed to exhaustion; an equal share cited unwanted attention.
The retreat from oversharing appears broader. According to the survey, 46 per cent of adults actively try to keep most aspects of their life private online. Only 8 per cent feel comfortable sharing most aspects publicly, while 35 per cent say they are becoming more selective about what they disclose.
Ashley Madison is betting that this cultural recalibration towards controlled visibility can be monetised. By doubling down on privacy infrastructure and reframing itself around discretion rather than infidelity, the company is attempting to convert reputational baggage into a premium proposition.
