Thursday, Oct 10, 2013

Dubai:

Tablets are taking centre stage at the Shopper as many branded and unbranded vendors have launched new models to attract customers.

Unbranded vendors and other equipment manufacturers (OEMs) are set for tough competition as branded PC vendors have launched tablets in the sub Dh600 category.

“Competition will definitely be there in the entry level from OEM brands. Customer service and quality is more important apart from the hardware and software integration of the tablet,” Srinath Nagarajan, business head of mobility business unit at HCL Infosystems MEA, told Gulf News.

Quoting GfK report, he said, 120,000 tablets were sold during last October. “We believe that if we go by the industry standards of 60 per cent growth, this October around 200,000 tablets are expected to be sold. Our expectation is to go for an eight per cent market share,” he said.

With other branded PC vendors entering the fray, he said the competition will be intense.

Fouad R. Charakla, research manager at International Data Corporation (IDC), said that tablets will overtake portable computers in the UAE next year and will overtake all PC form factors in 2016.

In the third quarter, the tablet market is set to experience a growth of 108.6 per cent year on year to 369,475 units compared to 177,130 units.

“Consumers not only look at the price factor but also the features. We have the Universal music library and the WiFi eprint. Consumers also look at the brand than the price factor. Finally consumers choose what goes with the device and the support,” said Mathew Thomas, general Manager for printing and personal systems group at HP.

Acer sees a lot of consolidation taking place in the retail tablet market.

“We will see non-branded vendors or OEMs going out of the market as consumers will rather buy a branded device than OEM brands,” said Amin Mortazavi, Acer’s vice-president for the Middle East and Africa.

At the end of the day, he said, vendors have to put metal, plastic and intelligence into the tablet and there is a cost associated with it. “So there is a limit they can go. It is not like the West where smartphones are subsidised.”

Vasant Menghani, founder and CEO of Touchmate, said that people are still crazy about tablets and the trend will continue for another two years.

“Many people are buying and sending tablets to India and other countries as a gift. The only option to give as a gift is the smartphone or a tablet. People cannot carry gold and TVs to India,” he said.

At last year’s Gitex show, Touchmate sold around 5,000 tablets at its stand and 20,000 as bundle deals with retailers. This year also Touchmate expects to meet last year’s sales.

By Naushad K Cherrayil Staff Reporter

Gulf News 2013. All rights reserved.