UAE leads Gulf computer sales in second quarter

Dubai: The Gulf computer market again saw double-digit growth in the second quarter led by the United Arab Emirates, despite lower spending in some countries.

Sales of desktops, notebooks and servers grew by 29 per cent compared with the same period a year ago, according to market research firm IDC.

The results reveal how the Gulf's economic growth continues to boost IT budgets, said Omar Shihab, an IDC computer analyst.

"IT spending is rising simply because of the expansion of construction and municipal projects," he told Gulf News. "There are also many small to mid-sized businesses mushrooming across the country."

The highest spending in the region was seen in the UAE, which grew by 43 per cent or 287,000 units sold.

Desktop sales

The UAE market saw a 40 per cent rise in desktop sales, to 95,000 units. Notebooks rose by 48 per cent to 187,000, while Intel-based servers registered a 13 per cent drop, to 5,400.

Shihab said the slight decline in servers was due to the release of dual-core processors in 2006, which spurred a wave of spending at the time.

Saudi Arabia grew nearly as fast, rising by 30 per cent or 256,300 total units. The much-smaller Bahrain market also grew by 30 per cent, to 20,000 units.

But elsewhere, there were declines. The Kuwait market fell by four per cent, Oman dropped by 15 per cent, and Qatar held steady with a one per cent gain compared with 2006.

According to Shihab, a number of Kuwaiti projects expected this quarter have not yet been finalised. They include large infrastructure rollouts in the oil and gas sector, and public sector initiatives in the education field.

In Qatar, this year's spending couldn't match that of a year ago, when huge IT investments were made in preparation of its hosting of the Asian Games.

Oman's drop, meanwhile, was due to several large IT projects that were delayed following the destruction of Cyclone Gonu in May, Shihab said.