Acer Computer (ME) has made two new Folio notebooks available in the Middle East. Acer hopes that the TravelMate 3200 designed for corporate professionals and the Aspire 1680 for consumers, will further strengthen the company’s position in the regional market.

The design of the new computers, based on the folio, attempts to deliver what Acer’s research has found that customers are looking for in a notebook: A discreet and agile form, soft curves and an inviting feel, just like a very personal belonging. The folio concept took almost two years to develop and is the result of in-depth global market research and customer surveys. The new Aspire 1680 focuses heavily on entertainment applications and the TravelMate 3200 features enhanced mobility and functionality.

Figures from international analyst group IDC have shown that Acer is performing well against its competitors across the region in sales of notebooks. In the Kingdom, Acer is clearly the No. 1 vendor taking 22.7 percent of the market share, while in the UAE the company is nearly tied for the No. 1 position.

The Folio range was launched across the region in the summer months and the TravelMate 3200 and Aspire 1680 represent the second phase of Acer’s aggressive campaign to be the No. 1 notebook vendor across the whole of the Middle East.

“Acer now has one of the largest offerings of notebook PCs available in the Middle East, catering to both the corporate and consumer market,” said Philip Ashkar, sales and marketing director, Acer Computer (ME). “The Folio range combines sleek design and the latest technology, which we are sure will appeal to sophisticated buyers in the region.”

HR Summit Attracts Saudi Participation

The First Middle East HR Summit will be held in Dubai from Sept. 27-29 on the theme “Creating a High Performing Work Force for the Future.” A pre-summit master class on “Developing World Class Leadership” will be held on Sept. 26.

According to Bob Morton, conference chairman, “We are all aware that ‘globalization’ has become one of the buzzwords in business and academia. In the Middle East, the volume of international business continues to expand from year to year. The advent of the Internet and e-commerce is further increasing the flow of goods and services and most importantly increasing the speed at which knowledge and therefore competitive advantage can be transferred across the globe. Resources of all types now flow relatively freely across national borders.

“One of these resources is people. Millions of people live abroad working for their companies, and the Middle East has for many years had ‘guest workers’ as an integral part of its economy — what does this mean for people management professionals?”

The conference aims to answer that question and deal with many other issues associated with HR management.

Presenting at the conference will be representatives from several Saudi organizations including: Integrated Visions & e-Commerce Group, the Islamic Development Bank, King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals, Saudi Aramco, Saudi Diyar Consultants and Savola Group.

Mobile Phone Sales Up 35% in Q2 2004

According to Gartner, worldwide mobile phone sales surpassed 156.4 million units in the second quarter of 2004, a 35 percent increase from the second quarter of 2003. Gartner analysts said all regions experienced healthy sales of mobile phones in the second quarter.

In the second quarter of 2004, Nokia suffered a decline in market share compared with the second quarter of last year. However, the company did increase its market share from the first quarter of this year.

“Nokia’s price cuts gave it a small gain in market share compared to the first quarter, although the average selling price of its handsets fell in the second quarter,” said Ben Wood, principal analyst for mobile terminals research at Gartner. “Motorola maintained the second position based on its strong performance in the Americas, but Gartner expects Samsung to be battling with Motorola for the No. 2 position for the remainder of the year.”

More than 300 million mobile phones have been sold in the first half of 2004 and Gartner analysts have projected year-end sales to reach approximately 620 million units. However, the analysts said if current momentum is maintained worldwide sales could reach 650 million units. If mobile phone sales exceed 650 million units this year, it could result in excess inventory that could harm sales in the first half of 2005.