Election manifestoes may just have proved to be a windfall for personal computer (PC) makers in the country. Spending on PCs and notebooks in States such as Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan and Tamil Nadu accounted for nearly one-third of the total PC market size in the second quarter ended June 30, helped by election manifestos that promised free laptops and PCs
HP and Dell have topped the list for the second quarter as overall India PC shipments stood at 3.53 million, showing a year-on-year growth of 24 per cent. The growth over the first quarter was higher still, at 30.2 per cent, brightening the prospects of PC makers.
However, the organic demand for PCs in India outside special projects has weakened, which remains a cause of concern for PC vendors. “Further, the rupee slide has derailed enterprise spending, as the investment decisions remained seemingly delayed across most verticals,” said Kiran Kumar, Research Manager of IDC.
Consumer market
The consumer market in the second quarter showed a marginal growth over the first quarter. “Q2 had a sluggish start in April owing to inventory concerns, coupled with a shift in share of wallet towards commodities such as gold and other consumer devices which were riding high on trade-back schemes and other time-to-time discount offers,” Manish Yadav, Market Analyst, said, commenting on the numbers.
The announcement of a new tax policy (local body tax) in Mumbai and suburban areas halted PC shipment growth in May. But, June largely reversed this trend, aided by back-to-school campaigns.
HP stood at the top, recording its highest ever quarterly market share with 34.1 per cent. Dell came in second with a share of 11 per cent, followed by Acer with a share of 10.4 per cent.
kurmanath.kanchi@thehindu.co.in