Almost 50% of consumers in the Middle East eyeing a Tablet

According to a recent report published by Jefferies research, almost half of the people who were surveyed in the Middle East and Africa region showed a strong desire to own a tablet. It is therefore no surprise, that across the region, Tablet sales and adoption are being driven by the demands of today’s mobile society. For example, when Samsung first launched its ever popular GALAXY Tab in 2010, over 1 million units of the Tab were sold within three months of the launch with the Gulf region contributing to 10% of global sales. So as the need for constant connectivity and mobility continues to grow, consumers and businesses alike require real-time access to content, the internet, computing and communication tools and high-quality services. Additionally, users are seeking limitless access to innovative features and applications and the ability to remove the constraints of physical location from daily life. 

The rise of the Tablet is due to the fact that consumers want something more portable than a laptop, and more powerful than a netbook and a Tablet fits these requirements perfectly. Furthermore, sleek user interfaces, extended battery lives, portability, competitive price points, excellent functionality and access to content and applications have allowed Tablets to become a core computing device. In fact, adoption of Tablet devices is occurring at an even faster pace than the historic rates set by peer devices such as computers, mp3 players, game consoles etc. 

Tablets are also used popularly as multi-tasking mobile devices for entertainment, information, education and work. About 75% of tablet consumer’s use it for web browsing, email, instant messaging, social networking, media consumption and simple gaming. Contrary to popular belief, tablets are not only used for content consumption but also for content creation including writing, editing or creating spreadsheets, and editing or managing photos. According to the Jefferies study, the 25-44 year-old age group has both the largest number of tablet owners as well as the largest number of people considering a tablet purchase. This age group also tends to use the tablet for business purposes more often compared to other age groups however, entertainment and casual use was more predominant. 

A report released recently by Morgan Stanley states the tablet market is poised to be bigger than expected with 2012 tablet shipments to touch 100-million in the best case scenario. Samsung is set to lead this segment with the recently announced GALAXY Tab 10.1 and GALAXY Tab 8.9. The new Tablets are based on the Android™ 3.1 (Honeycomb) platform and offer superior multi-tasking and enhanced user interaction and navigation capabilities. Combined with features such as speed, light weight, a customized user experience, an entertainment hub and enterprise ready applications, the new Tablets give consumers more possibilities on the go. 

Mr. Ashraf Fawakherji, General Manager, Telecommunications Group at Samsung Gulf Electronics said, “After achieving strong results in 2010, we anticipate continuing the year with a strong demand for the GALAXY Tab 10.1 and 8.9 devices in the Middle East specifically as more consumers in the region require immediate connectivity and portability. Specifically in the UAE market, we have achieved record growth and popularity from the GALAXY Tabs particularly because our products are catered towards Arabs and are fully equipped with Arabic content and Arabic lifestyle applications”. 

The launch of such offerings has given rise to new optimism surrounding the growth of the Tablet market. As consumers seek high-quality and efficient mobile computing devices, the demand for Tablets will be high across both the consumer and enterprise markets with players such as Samsung leading the way with state-of-the-art and innovative Tablet offerings. Moreover, in today’s digital age, Tablets, equipped with the power of mobile computing, have emerged as the perfect solution and are expected to drive massive demand for digital content and services both globally and in the region.