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Notebook sales up 180 percent: MAIT report
By siliconindia
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Friday, 02 February 2007, 18:30 IST
BANGALORE: Computer hardware vendors group Manufacturers Association of Information Technology (MAIT) has released figures of computer sales for the year 2006. According to the group, PCs sales in India grew 19 percent, buoyed by strong buying from a number of market segments including e-governance projects and the outsourcing industry. While a total of 2.96 million PCs were sold in the six months ended September 30 last year, the figure will likely touch 6.5 million for the fiscal year ending March 31.
The most robust growth has been seen in notebook sales; it grew by 180 percent in the six months to September 30, while the growth in desktop sales was about 8 percent. Intel recently noted that given the mobility option of notebooks, people tend to prefer them over desktop computers, especially in the Indian market. A number of multinational and local brands have slashed prices on their entry-level notebooks to cash in on this opportunity.
During the same period, sales of unbranded desktops grew at 27 percent to capture a 40 percent share of the desktop market, despite aggressive price cuts by multinational and local brands.
Business buyers accounted for 77 percent of desktop sales during the period, with home users accounting for the remaining 23 percent. Buyers of notebook computers for home use also increased because of their reduced prices, and accounted for one-third of notebook sales, says MAIT.
The MAIT report states that multinational PC brands accounted for 37 percent of the desktop market, registering a 14 percent growth. The share of Indian brands fell from 31 percent to 23 percent, after a decline in sales of 20 percent.