Personal Computers (PC) will be high on the shopping lists of people drawn to Dubai by the Summer Surprises Festival (SSF), reveals a survey conducted by Intel, American producer of computer chips.
The survey, conducted during the Dubai Shopping Festival (DSF) earlier this year, showed that 90 percent of the sample already owned a home computer and that more than half of the remaining survey participants were planning to buy one. Expat-Arabs showed the lowest level of computer ownership, averaging 74 per cent.
Education ranked as the highest priority for computer usage among survey participants, far outweighing entertainment with a score of 31.5 percent against 16.9 percent. After education, respondents ranked their usage priorities as: creativity—music, video, photography; working from home; online games; and managing personal finances. More than 61 percent of all participants planned to build their own website.
The most active computer-users were aged between 15 and 24 or above 45, each group respectively claiming 94 and 96 percent access to a home PC. Not surprisingly, 25 percent more women than men would use their computers for shopping.
“These figures underline the size of the potential market,” said Gilbert Lacroix, Intel’s general manager for Middle East and Africa. “Quite apart from the commitment to purchase by first-time owners, existing PC owners tend to upgrade every two to three years on average.” The survey showed market dominance by Intel-based technology, with only 17 percent of respondents using any other kind of computer, according to a company press release. — (menareport.com)
© 2002 Mena Report (www.menareport.com)
