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Tablet shipments in the Middle East and Africa exceeded PCs for the first time in the second quarter of 2013, according to a report released Thursday by an American market research firm.
International Data Corporation (IDC), specialized in the information, technology and telecom industry, said tablet shipments for the period in Mena soared by 208 percent year on year, reaching a total of 2.79 million units.
As tablets such as Apple Ipad, Lenovo X61 and Samsung Galaxy Tab more and more popular in the region, "the growing demands have attracted several multinational PC vendors to divert a larger proportion of their overall focus on tablet ranges," said the report.
The Android operating system was the major contributor to the growth, said IDC, with 2 million Android-running devices shipped during the period.
"The launch of the iPad mini could not prevent iOS from rapidly losing shares to Android devices, with cost being a key factor in consumers' choice of tablets," said Victoria Mendes, IDC research analyst on PCs and IT infrastructure in the Middle East, Africa and Turkey.
"However, Apple's new product launch, expected before the end of this year, will definitely spur some growth for the vendor in the region," she added.
According to IDC, Apple's shipments totaled lower-than-expected 682,000 units for the quarter, followed very closely by Samsung, which shipped a total of 627,000 units. Lenovo entered the market in the third place, shipping 140,000 units.
Global PC and tablet producers are expecting an increase of sales in the Middle East and Africa to be boosted by the annual GITEX technology week on Oct. 20-24 in Dubai, the biggest fair of information and communications technologies in the region.
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