Acer leads the tablet PC market in Middle East

Part of TravelMate C100's success comes from being the first and most effective convertible tablet PC to be made available in the Middle East. In the region, this portable computing solution has received rave reviews and generated strong sales contributing to Acer's success in EMEA.

In EMEA, Acer topped the tablet PC market occupying 39% share. Acer's tablet PC - the TravelMate C100 powered by Microsoft Windows XP Tablet PC Edition - was the first to be launched in the Middle East at the end of last year.

The worldwide tablet PC shipment exceeded 72,000 units during the same period, with Acer and HP tying first place and shipping over 17,000 units each. In a statement, IDC said: 'Fujitsu, the incumbent tablet PC provider with more than ten years of experience, was surpassed on a worldwide basis by Acer and HP. The two companies ended the quarter in a statistical tie for the number one position. Acer was able to leverage its relationship with Microsoft to bring one of the first Windows XP Tablet PC Edition-enabled devices to market.'

Krishna Murthy, General Manager, Acer Computer (M.E.) Ltd., added: 'When Acer launched the Tablet PC at the end of 2002 we had high hopes for its success in the Middle East market because it brought unprecedented ease-of-use, functionality and versatility to the business users of the Middle East. At Acer we are committed to making computing more practical and easier to use and we expect sales of our tablet PC to continue rising.'

Demand in the Region
Interest in Acer's tablet PC has been strong across the region with most enquiries coming from small and medium size business owners and people running a small or home office.
'The ultra-portable laptop, that converts from the traditional laptop 'clamshell mode' for keyboard input to 'tablet mode' for use with a pen, is also very popular in the healthcare, government and education sectors,' said Eugene Thomas, Director- Business Development, Acer Computer (M.E.) Ltd

The TravelMate C100 has received numerous media awards, including Editor's Choice from Windows Magazine Middle East, Editor's Recommended Choice PC Magazine Middle East, and Intel's Innovative Awards.

An Intel® Centrino™ platform based tablet PC from Acer will shortly be released, as the first convertible tablet PC to incorporate the latest mobile technology added Eugene Thomas.

The Tablet PC is a broad-based industry initiative that builds on the capabilities of Windows XP Tablet PC Edition, as well as digital pen and speech technologies. This new technology extends the functionality of PCs for key computing jobs such as taking notes, marking up documents and attending meetings, all of which expand PC capabilities for business productivity.