Demand for touch-screen mobile handsets is soaring in the Middle East and leading manufacturers are lining up more products to cash in on this, especially getting into the act, after the launch of Apple’s iPhone.

Research firm iSuppli estimates the global touch-screen market to rise to atleast 341 million units and earn $3.4 billion in value this year, said a Gulf News report.

’In a market dominated by so-called resistive touch technology, Apple’s iPhone uses a different technology called projected capacitance that enabled the multi-touch functionality that had been lacking in resistive-based touch panels,’ said Jennifer Colegrove, senior analyst, iSuppli.

HTC unveiled its first touch-screen phone in 2006 followed by LG in 2007 and Samsung in 2008. Now each of them have atleast four models to compete with iPhone.

Though Apple launched its iPhone last year, its not in the Middle East markets yet.

’The launch of iPhone has really boosted the touch-screen concept but the market is still small. People have started recoginising the concept. We will be launching handsets similar to iPhones this year. We see 100 per cent growth in touch-screen phones,’ said KW Kim, president and CEO of LG Electronics MENA.

’The Korean firms have done a good job of reacting urgently to the threat from Apple with their iClones, which offer credible and compelling alternatives to the iPhone,’ said Neil Mawston, analyst, Strategy Analytics.

iSuppli estimates the touch-screen mobile market to touch 833 million units by 2013, with revenues at $6.4 billion, an annual growth rate of 19.5 per cent from this year.