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SMEs can now own branded PCs
By siliconindia
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Friday, 11 January 2008, 02:30 IST
New Delhi: As PC prices are witnessing depreciation; SMEs can now own branded computers at reasonable cost. Today, a desktop costs lower than Rs 16,000 ($400) and a laptop below Rs 25,000 ($625). Till now, the assembled personal computers (PCs) were the only low cost options for small and medium enterprises (SMEs), reported Business Standard.
"The IT Market in 2006 was worth Rs 61,761 crore ($15.44 billion), of which the SME's share constituted 38.5 percent of the overall IT spend amounting to Rs 23,776 crore ($5.9 billion). Of this total figure, SMEs spent around 50 percent on hardware," said Kapil Dev Singh, Country Manager, IDC India.
SMEs were poised to invest about $4 billion in computer hardware in India in 2007, according to Access Markets International (AMI) Partners.
Clearly showing Indian lead in this space, Mumbai-based Zenith Computers recently launched its low-cost range of laptops. The new range with a starting price of Rs 24,990 ($625) comprises three models, Zenith Director, Zenith Admiral and Zenith Presidio.
The range is aimed at the mobile workforce and the entrepreneurs and executives of emerging small and medium enterprises. It offers its consumers Intel Pentium Dual Core processor with Microsoft Vista starter edition along with on-site warranty. The product comes at a price, which the company claims is 20 percent lower than the industry average.
Another low cost PC provider HCL Infosystems has come with laptops that are priced from Rs 23,990 ($600) up to Rs 45,000 ($1125). However, Busy Bee range of desktops are available within a range of Rs 16,000 ($400) and Rs 40,000 ($1000).
Apart from Indian manufacturers, there are global players to tap this market. Dell recently launched its ostro brand of notebook and desktop systems designed for the SME space. And Lenovo, another big PC manufacturer, is aggressively positioning its ThinkPad brand of notebook products for the small and medium enterprises (SME) customers in India.