Indian PC market expected to grow 8% in 2012: Study

Personal computer (both notebook and desktop) sales are expected to grow by eight per cent for the year 2012, said CyberMedia Research. PC sales grew six per cent in 2011.

Notebook PCs that made up 44 per cent of the sales in 2011 are expected to grow at 13 per cent while desktop computer sales are expected to grow by four per cent, leading to a marginally better growth projection of eight per cent, said Sumanta Mukherjee, lead analyst, information technology practice, CyberMedia Research in his preview.

Some of this growth will also come from ultrabooks and all-in-one-desktops (AIOs). “Ultrabooks were introduced in the Indian PC market in 2011, but shipments remained niche due to high price-points. As prices rationalise, ultrabooks are likely to become mainstream by end of 2012.”

Mukherjee also believes AIOs are likely to see an increase in adoption driven by demand from the BPO-ITeS segment, due to the attractiveness of the form factor in terms of savings in real-estate cost and lower overall power consumption. Beyond this, aesthetics are expected to drive adoption in front-office and consumer settings.

This year will again see branded PC manufacturers maintaining their edge over the assembled market. “The hard disk prices which were badly affected due to constrained supplies on account of the 2011 floods in Thailand are expected to regularise by JAS quarter of 2012. Hence, the assembled PC market is expected to remain subdued for the better part of 2012,” said he.