Saudi Communications Minister Attends Inauguration of New Cloud Region of Google Cloud in Dammam

Minister of Communications and Information Technology Eng. Abdullah Al-Swaha attended the inauguration ceremony of Google Cloud's new cloud region in Dammam. SPA
Minister of Communications and Information Technology Eng. Abdullah Al-Swaha attended the inauguration ceremony of Google Cloud's new cloud region in Dammam. SPA
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Saudi Communications Minister Attends Inauguration of New Cloud Region of Google Cloud in Dammam

Minister of Communications and Information Technology Eng. Abdullah Al-Swaha attended the inauguration ceremony of Google Cloud's new cloud region in Dammam. SPA
Minister of Communications and Information Technology Eng. Abdullah Al-Swaha attended the inauguration ceremony of Google Cloud's new cloud region in Dammam. SPA

Saudi Minister of Communications and Information Technology Eng. Abdullah Al-Swaha has attended the inauguration ceremony of Google Cloud's new cloud region in Dammam to offer its services to public sector institutions, big companies, small and medium sized enterprises, and start-ups in the Kingdom and the Middle East.

Al-Swaha emphasized the significance of Google Cloud investing in the new region, highlighting that this investment marks a significant stride towards achieving the goals and aspirations of the Kingdom to emerge as a leading regional hub for advanced computing technologies.

He further stated that this investment will play a vital role in supporting promising digital business initiatives, hastening innovation in artificial intelligence applications, and diversifying models of businesses in both the public and private sectors.

Dammam's new cloud region is part of Google Cloud global network, consisting of 39 cloud region and 118 regions that provide cloud services to over 200 countries and regions around the world.

Institutions in the region will benefit from key controls that allow them to maintain the highest standards of safety and the availability of local data storage premises and compliance standards, including specific data storage requirements.



Apple’s China Market Share Shrinks as Huawei Surges, Data Shows 

A woman walks past a logo of Apple Inc in Wuhan, Hubei province July 24, 2013. (Reuters)
A woman walks past a logo of Apple Inc in Wuhan, Hubei province July 24, 2013. (Reuters)
TT

Apple’s China Market Share Shrinks as Huawei Surges, Data Shows 

A woman walks past a logo of Apple Inc in Wuhan, Hubei province July 24, 2013. (Reuters)
A woman walks past a logo of Apple Inc in Wuhan, Hubei province July 24, 2013. (Reuters)

Apple's market share in China shrank by two percentage points in the second quarter of 2024, as the tech giant faced intensifying competition from rivals like Huawei, according to data from market research firm Canalys.

The decline underscores the difficulties the US tech giant faces in its third-largest market.

Huawei's smartphone shipments surged 41% year-on-year in the quarter, bolstered by the launch of its new Pura 70 series in April.

The Canalys data, while not providing specific shipment figures for Apple, showed that the company's market share in China dropped to 14% in the second quarter of 2024, a decrease from 16% in the same quarter of 2023.

As a result of this decline, Apple's ranking in the Chinese smartphone market fell from third to sixth place.

Overall, China's smartphone shipments rose by 10% in the quarter, Canalys said. Vivo was the top vendor with a share of 19%, followed by Oppo, Honor and Huawei with 16%, 15% and 15% respectively.

"Domestic manufacturers have demonstrated market leadership, occupying the top five positions in the mainland Chinese market for the first time in history," said Lucas Zhong, research analyst at Canalys.

"On the other hand, Apple faces growth pressure in the Chinese market and is actively focusing on optimizing channel management."

Huawei made a comeback to the high-end smartphone segment last August with the release of a device powered by a domestically-made chip, defying US sanctions that have cut off its access to the global chipset supply chain.

In an effort to boost sales, Apple has ramped up its discounting efforts this year to entice consumers. The US company launched an aggressive campaign in May, doubling the scale of an earlier promotion in February and offering price cuts of up to 2,300 yuan ($318.84) on select iPhone models.

Analysts expect Huawei's strong performance to continue throughout the year. Canadian research firm TechInsights projected earlier this year that Huawei's overall smartphone shipments in China will exceed 50 million units in 2024, with the Pura 70 series accounting for 10 million of those shipments.

That would make Huawei the No. 1 seller with a 19% market share, up from 12% in 2023, TechInsights has said.