PCD demand ‘could drop by 16.1pc in MEA region’

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MANAMA: Demand for desktops, notebooks, workstations, and tablets in the Middle East and Africa (MEA) region is expected to decline 16.1 per cent during the third quarter, according to International Data Corporation (IDC).

The global technology research and consulting firm’s latest Worldwide Quarterly Tracker of personal computing devices (PCD) shows that a total of 5.2 million units will be shipped across the region in Q3-2022.

“The biggest declines are expected in South Africa and Egypt, where massive projects delivered in Q3 2021 are not expected to repeat in Q3 2022,” says Fouad Charakla, IDC’s associate research director for client devices in the Middle East, Turkey, and Africa.

“Additionally, consumer demand is expected to remain weak due to higher costs of living, which have inhibited consumer spending on other

commodities, including IT products. This is expected to have a negative ripple effect on businesses as well, driving down commercial demand for PCDs as well.”

“Despite the declines that are forecast for the overall MEA PCD market in Q3 2022, the region’s PC market is still performing much better than it did prior to the pandemic,” continues Mr Charakla. “Indeed, IDC expects PC shipments into the region to total 14.6 million units for 2022 as a whole, and while this is down from 15.1m units in 2021, it is up considerably on the 11.5m units that were shipped in 2019.

The market will contract slightly in 2023 and then start to recover again from 2024 onwards. However, tablet shipments for 2022 overall will be significantly weaker than pre-pandemic levels and will continue to weaken over the subsequent years.”