Tablet sales in the region fell 2 per cent in the second quarter of this year, according to a report from International Data Corporation (IDC).
About 3.9 million units were shipped to the Middle East and Africa in the second quarter. IDC attributed the decline to slow summer months and inventory pileups from the first quarter of this year.
Tablet sales are in retreat globally, and IDC noted that the Middle East was still the best performing region worldwide.
In the region, sales are beginning to slow down as consumers become more concerned with replacing their mobile phones with newer models rather than their tablets, retailers said.
“Tablet sales have been challenged this year by the fact that many people who never had a tablet earlier now own one,” said Ashish Panjabi, the chief operating officer at Jacky’s Electronics. “The replacement cycle for those that were sold is starting to resemble that of the PC market, which are replaced every two to three years, as opposed to the smartphone market, which are replaced every one to two years.”
Samsung maintained the market lead, shipping 862,000 units despite suffering a double-digit quarterly decline. Apple, its closest rival, remained in second place with 622,000 of its iPads shipped to the region. Lenovo managed to push its way back up to third position by shipping 420,000 units.
“The tablet market is undoubtedly witnessing a shift in terms of vendor shares,” said Victoria Mendes, a research analyst at IDC Middle East, Turkey and Africa. “Traditional PC vendors such as Lenovo, Asus, Toshiba, HP and Acer are becoming more aggressive in terms of their product launches and pricing strategies and this is driving a considerable shift in consumer demand from low-cost Far-Eastern players.”
Chinese companies such as Lenovo, Huawei and X-touch have managed to lure customers away from the likes of Samsung and Apple with better value for money.
The introduction of phablets – part phone, part tablet – has also dented tablet sales. Over the past year Samsung, Sony, Huawei and Nokia have all launched their own phablets with screen sizes ranging from 5.5 to 6 inches.
“It does have an impact,” said Fouad Charakla, the research manager at IDC Middle East, Turkey and Africa. “If you look at the market, their price segment is very different. Phablets are priced much higher, but there is spillover to some extent.”
thamid@thenationl.ae
Follow The National's Business section on Twitter
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
How to watch Ireland v Pakistan in UAE
When: The one-off Test starts on Friday, May 11
What time: Each day’s play is scheduled to start at 2pm UAE time.
TV: The match will be broadcast on OSN Sports Cricket HD. Subscribers to the channel can also stream the action live on OSN Play.
OIL PLEDGE
At the start of Russia's invasion, IEA member countries held 1.5 billion barrels in public reserves and about 575 million barrels under obligations with industry, according to the agency's website. The two collective actions of the IEA this year of 62.7 million barrels, which was agreed on March 1, and this week's 120 million barrels amount to 9 per cent of total emergency reserves, it added.
The 12 Syrian entities delisted by UK
Ministry of Interior
Ministry of Defence
General Intelligence Directorate
Air Force Intelligence Agency
Political Security Directorate
Syrian National Security Bureau
Military Intelligence Directorate
Army Supply Bureau
General Organisation of Radio and TV
Al Watan newspaper
Cham Press TV
Sama TV
Countries recognising Palestine
France, UK, Canada, Australia, Portugal, Belgium, Malta, Luxembourg, San Marino and Andorra
Specs
Engine: 51.5kW electric motor
Range: 400km
Power: 134bhp
Torque: 175Nm
Price: From Dh98,800
Available: Now
Teaching your child to save
Pre-school (three - five years)
You can’t yet talk about investing or borrowing, but introduce a “classic” money bank and start putting gifts and allowances away. When the child wants a specific toy, have them save for it and help them track their progress.
Early childhood (six - eight years)
Replace the money bank with three jars labelled ‘saving’, ‘spending’ and ‘sharing’. Have the child divide their allowance into the three jars each week and explain their choices in splitting their pocket money. A guide could be 25 per cent saving, 50 per cent spending, 25 per cent for charity and gift-giving.
Middle childhood (nine - 11 years)
Open a bank savings account and help your child establish a budget and set a savings goal. Introduce the notion of ‘paying yourself first’ by putting away savings as soon as your allowance is paid.
Young teens (12 - 14 years)
Change your child’s allowance from weekly to monthly and help them pinpoint long-range goals such as a trip, so they can start longer-term saving and find new ways to increase their saving.
Teenage (15 - 18 years)
Discuss mutual expectations about university costs and identify what they can help fund and set goals. Don’t pay for everything, so they can experience the pride of contributing.
Young adulthood (19 - 22 years)
Discuss post-graduation plans and future life goals, quantify expenses such as first apartment, work wardrobe, holidays and help them continue to save towards these goals.
* JP Morgan Private Bank
