HP India expects gaming laptop biz to grow over 30%this yr

PC maker HP India today said it expects its gaming laptop business to grow beyond projected market growth rate of 30 per cent this year.

"Sales have been strong. Feedback has been very strong. If you look at market, there is 30 per cent (gaming) market growth forecast. We are growing higher than the market everywhere. In this one also, obviously, we will grow higher than the market," Vickram Bedi, Senior Director, Personal Systems Business at HP Inc, India said.

He was speaking on sidelines on launching two laptops focussed at gaming - HP Pavilion Gaming 15 priced Rs 74,990 onwards and Omen 15 laptop priced Rs 1.05 lakh onward.

While Omen series focusses on heavy digital game players, Pavilion series has been focussing on customers that have diverse interest and not just gaming.

According to the market research firm IDC, HP Inc led the overall Indian PC market with 28.6 per cent share in the first quarter of 2018.

The company reclaimed its top spot in Indian traditional consumer PC market with a 29.9 per cent share, with 7.5 per cent sequential growth and 6.7 per cent year-on-year growth driven by consumer-focused initiatives, wide retail presence and continued focus on gaming systems, as per IDC.

"Gaming as a segment is growing very fast for us. India is relatively a small gaming market compared to other markets but it is growing rapidly. For us it will reflect in same manner," Bedi said.

The company entered in gaming laptop segment in February last year.

"We are already experiencing much higher growth in market. That is why we got quarter of market in just one year," Bedi said.

HP has been selling Omen series in India that are priced up to Rs 3 lakh a unit. With new launches in lower price range, the firm is trying to attract gamers who are looking to shift from mobile devices to bigger screen.

"For us it (Pavilion Gaming) opens a new market because we have not been present in that kind of range of Rs 74,990," Bedi said.