Tablet shipments to the Middle East and Africa (MEA) bucked the global trend to record 77.3% year-on-year growth during the first quarter of 2014, according to the International Data Corporation (IDC).
The research firm says four million units were shipped to the region in the first quarter, "with much of the growth driven by the strong performance of the consumer segment, which was spurred by the numerous IT festivals and vendor-led promotions that took place throughout the region".
Adriana Rangel, IDC researcher, notes: "Most other regions around the world experienced a year-on-year slowdown in growth during the first quarter of 2014, or even an overall decline."
She says the MEA tablet market's expansion can be attributed to "the additional focus that vendors have placed on this region due to numerous country markets not reaching their full potential, particularly in Africa".
Samsung took top spot among all vendors in the region, according to the IDC, with around 974 600 units shipped in the first quarter. Apple placed second, with 751 934 units, while General Mobile was a new entrant in third, shipping 352 245 - thanks largely to a 350 000 unit order it secured as part of the Fatih education project in Turkey.
The project, led by the Turkish government, aims to introduce technology into the country's public education system.
Lenovo and Asus rounded out the top five vendors in the first quarter, shipping 266 049 units and 189 895 units, respectively.
Further schools influence
The IDC says the Fatih project will continue to shape the overall MEA tablet market, with another phase set to take hold in the second and third quarters of 2014.
Similar technology interventions are in the pipeline in schools across Egypt, according to the IDC. "As a result of all these initiatives and other smaller corporate deals involving small and medium-sized businesses, the commercial segment is expected to account for 14% of the overall market's volume in 2014 compared to just 9% in 2013," the research firm says.
The IDC expects increased uptake of larger tablet devices to influence the region's commercial segment to improve its performance.
"In terms of screen sizes, seven- to eight-inch tablets will continue to dominate the market throughout 2014; however, we expect to see a good uptake of 10- to 11-inch tablets during the year as a number of the large education initiatives currently under way in the region require the use of these larger devices," says Victoria Mendes, IDC analyst.
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