NOTEBOOK SALES SOAR AT THE COST OF DESKTOP COMPUTERS

Notebook computers (or laptops) are getting more popular — that too at the expense of desktop computers. Notebooks and netbooks taken together recorded a consumption of 11 lakh units for the first half (April-September) of financial year 2009-10, growing 43 per cent over the same period last year. However, sales of desktops stood at 26.1 lakh units, registering a decline of eleven per cent, according to MAIT, the apex body representing India's IT hardware, training and R&D services sectors.

The total PC sales between April and September 2009, with desktop computers, notebooks and netbooks taken together, were 37.1 lakh units, registering a growth of one per cent over the same period last fiscal. Given the current macro-economic conditions and conservative buying sentiment in the market, PC sales are expected to cross 73 lakh units in FY 2009-10, growing seven per cent, MAIT said.

Said MAIT executive director Vinnie Mehta: "Although the sales growth was subdued in the enterprises, the overall consumption in the PC market was led by telecom, banking and financial service sectors, education and households segment."

He said verticals such as BPO/IT-enabled services, retail and the government, which traditionally account for significant proportion of the IT market, were very conservative in their IT spends in H1/2009-10. The first-half of the current fiscal also witnessed deviations from the traditional downward trend in pricing for IT products as the dollar continued to be significantly strong compared to the rupee.

"This was mitigated, to an extent, by price drops due to technology reasons and also due to intense competition. Going forward, with signs of revival in the domestic economy, we expect positive growth for PCs and other IT products for the fiscal 2009-10," Mehta said. The proportion of notebooks in the overall PC sales is fast growing as these have rapidly become more affordable.