Dubai: Hamdi Saad

The personal computer market in the UAE is witnessing strong competition among manufacturers to provide modern devices at reasonable prices to the largest segment of the country due to increased supply, inflation and high demands of users.

In 2022, demand for multi-use devices that combine work, learning and entertainment in the local market was high, and the market saw a boom in sales in 2020 and 2021 due to the effects of the pandemic, while the office equipment market continued to decline.

The global personal computer market is facing recessionary challenges due to increased inventory and higher prices and introduction of devices with advanced technical capabilities that meet the ambition of users looking for advanced devices at affordable prices.

Fuad Zargallah, International Data Corporation’s (IDC) assistant director of consumer devices research in the Middle East, Turkey and Africa, said: The size of the personal computer market in the UAE is about 1,472,037 million units, total value. About 4.404 billion dirhams.

23% growth in sales units

Jumana Karam, head of marketing for Acer Middle East and Africa, told Al-Khaleej: The computer market in the UAE continues to grow throughout 2022, with a 22% increase in the consumer segment compared to December 2022. The same month in 2021, and recording 23% growth from the number of units sold in 2022 and 15% growth in terms of sales value compared to 2021, gaming computers and light thin computers represent the main segments of the market. According to “GFK”, the entire year witnessed significant growth.

According to the International Data Corporation “IDC”, the number of laptops of all types in the UAE market decreased by 3% between 2021 and 2022, while “Acer” achieved a growth of 7.5%. Compared to 2021, the company has reported a 10% growth in PC revenue despite a decline in the average price of devices in the country.

Regarding the average time to replace personal computers in the UAE, he said: Due to the widespread trust and preference for technology, personal computers are being replaced faster in the country compared to the global average of about 5 years. To get the latest devices.

Regarding the percentage of mid-priced personal computers in the UAE market, Karam explained that the percentage of mid-priced personal laptops, i.e. 1840 to 3670 dirhams in the UAE market is 46%, while 50% of these computers come with Intel Core i5 processors. “Globalism.

Market trends 2023

Referring to the most important market trends in the UAE in 2023, he said: The computer market in the UAE will continue to grow in 2023, but will see a decline in average computer prices at a slower pace compared to 2022 and 2023. Despite the pressures of global inflation, this growth is lower than in the previous two years, especially: the growth of sectors: tourism, education and games and light and thin devices will continue to grow.

The most important criteria for purchasing devices after “Covid-19” combine professional and personal lifestyles, using a device for work, games, entertainment, connectivity, design, weight and battery life.

Global decline

According to preliminary estimates provided by the research firm “Gartner”, the total shipment of personal computers worldwide will be approximately 286.2 million units in 2022, which represents a decline of 16.2% compared to 2021.

According to Gartner, Lenovo maintained its market share of approximately 24% and its market leadership through the last quarter of 2022, while leading global PC shipments.

The stake is high

Mikako Kitagawa, director of analysts at Gartner, said: “The impact of market recession expectations and high inflation rates was clearly reflected in global PC demand. In addition to the majority of users owning relatively new computers purchased during the pandemic, higher costs will outweigh the incentive to purchase due to a lack of capacity, making consumer PC demand the highest in years. has contributed to the decline to a lesser extent.

He added that higher inventory of personal computer units started accumulating from the first quarter of 2022, while “Lenovo, HP and Dell” companies maintained their ranking in terms of PC shipments in the last quarter of 2022.

And Kitagawa continued: PC export totals for 2022 were close to their levels in the pre-pandemic “Covid-19” period, as around 300 million units were recorded in 2019, while the industry has seen extraordinary fluctuations over the past 11 years. After succeeding in registering extraordinary growth rates between 2020 and 2021, due to the pandemic, the markets have started to decline significantly and this trend is expected to continue till early 2024.