JEDDAH, 4 November 2004 — The laptop tablets market is poised for massive expansion. “We expect the market for laptop tablets to expand by leaps and bounds with hospitals and schools among high-demand areas,” Khaled A. Moustafa, LG manager of J. Al-Jassim Electronics Est., said yesterday.
The market for tablets is expected to mark a 15 percent growth annually until 2010. “We envision the Middle East and Africa market demand to be around 10 million by 2007.” Moustafa said a major project was being introduced in the Kingdom where schools and hospitals were switching to mobile notebooks.
“Doctors and paramedics as well as students have found the laptop tablets immensely useful because of their mobile technology,” he said while launching LG’s LT series of tablet notebook at a press conference here.
Wesam Yousry, national LG service manager at J. Al-Jassim Electronics Est., in his presentation on the new series of tablet notebooks said they were meant for mobile professionals. “The series has the slimmest and lightest tablet notebook,” he said. Its features include 1.75kg weight, 19.8mm thickness, digital pen writing, built-in 180 degree LCD swivel, 160 degree wide view angle LCD, wireless and stylish design with ergonomics.
Simon Kim, LG’s Jeddah-based senior manager, telecommunication and IT products, said LG has LM series notebook for advanced people and LS series high-tech notebook for computer savvy, aside from LT series. With its new products, the Korean company that has marked a rapid growth in telecommunications, hopes to take mobile computing in the Kingdom to a higher level with its lightweight design and ease-of-use functionality.
LG entered the Kingdom’s notebook market a year ago. Tablet PCs form five percent of the notebook market. The laptop market is expected to boom to 900,000 units in the GCC this year, up by 20-25 percent, and to be worth around $1 billion.
