NOTEBOOKS, SERVERS RECORD ROBUST GROWTH: MAIT

New Delhi
The Hindu Business Line Financial Chronicle

Personal computer sales, including desktops and notebooks, have crossed 2 million units during April-June quarter this fiscal, registering a growth of 70 percent over the same period in 2007-08.

During the latest quarter, while notebook and server sales witnessed a robust growth, desktop sales continued to be sluggish, according to MAIT’s latest Quarterly Industry Performance Review.

Despite the domestic economy being under pressure, the market sentiment for IT consumption remains positive and sales in second quarter are expected to be steady, a MAIT release said.

In the first-half of 2008-09, desktop sales are expected to cross 2.49 million units while notebook sales are expected to exceed 1.35 million units, it added.

Commenting on the findings of the study, Vinnie Mehta, Executive Director, MAIT said, “Notebook consumption has driven the PC market in India in the first quarter of 2008-09. With sales crossing 0.61 million units in the first quarter of this fiscal, notebooks account for close to a third of the total PC market in the country, up from less than three percent four years ago.

“With shifting consumer-preference in favour of notebooks over the desktop, this proportion will only get larger with time. Further, with a large number of vendors announcing ultra-portable PCs, the market is expected to become more exciting.”