File photo used for representation only.
The laptop market in Qatar is buzzing with activity as computer showrooms and dealers are witnessing surge in demand for new models. Remote learning has created additional demand for laptops and computers.
Buoyed by high demand, companies have launched new models which are equipped with latest technology and new features, which have made laptop costlier.
Heavy, bulky laptops are a thing of the past as the technology has taken a giant leap. Today, people prefer slim, thin, stylish, and light weight devices with features such as better webcams, stylus, headphones, and speakers for videoconferencing.
In Qatar, laptops and computer accessories are in demand as the situation is better than before. A supervisor form an electronic store told The Peninsula, “Although the prices of laptops have increased, people continue to purchase all brands such as Dell, HP, Asus and Lenovo”.
“One of the factors for the rise in prices may be the use of SSDs (solid state drives) for storage rather than HDDs in newer, more modern technologies which is expensive,” he said. 1TB SDD costs QR699 compared to 1TB HDD which is QR249,” he added.
Since SSDs have no moving parts, they run more quietly, enjoy faster access time, and lower power consumption compared to HDDs (hard disk drives). SSDs in general are more reliable than HDDs as they result in longer battery life. With their spinning disks, HDDs require more power when they start up than SSDs. The difference is in the technology used to store and retrieve data.
A salesman from another major store said “We sell 40-50 units per day, the mid-range laptops are between QR2,500 to QR3,500 and the high-range between QR5,000 to QR10,000 and the price goes up to QR16,000.
The buyers vary from students to company employees and most students prefer laptops of range between QR1,000 to QR3,000” he added.
Prices of laptops with basic features start from QR1,000. Likewise, a supervisor of another major electronic store said, “Before the pandemic we use to receive two to three models of laptops from our suppliers but presently just one model as the quantity of new supplies from China are less. This may be due to the effects of pandemic as the suppliers are also running low on their stocks”.
“Also we have less stocks of Arabic computer keyboard which is preferred by most of the customers but the European keyboards with English numerals are available. The customers buy new models as soon as they are launched and most of them look for medium range. Now a days, the desktops computers are not much preferred by buyers but again it differs from person to person.” he added.
In Qatar, the launch of re-designed 13-inch MacBook Pro and Air are available in stores.
