PC sales decline 19% in third quarter: MAIT

The total PC sales (including desktops and notebooks) for the quarter October-December 2008 was 14 lakh a decline of 19 per cent over the same period last year, said the Quarterly Industry Performance Review by Manufacturer’s Association of Information Technology (MAIT).

The sales of desktops stood at 10 lakh units while notebooks recorded a consumption of 3.5 lakh units. The industry body expects the overall PC sales for 2008-09 to remain at the same levels as in the last fiscal at 7.3 million (73 lakh) units, due to the current macro-economic conditions.

“With less than expected sales in the households and the enterprises, the desktops recorded a decline in consumption by 15 per cent, while sales of notebooks fell by 30 per cent over the same period last year. SMEs, retail, BPO/IT-enabled services and corporate sectors demonstrated restrain in IT purchase due to concerns of liquidity and general economic performance. The vibrancy in consumption in households was also muted due to concerns of job security. The strengthening of the dollar continued to adversely impact the industry margins and arrested the price drops in IT products,” said Vinnie Mehta, executive director, MAIT.

Among the verticals, consumption in the PC market was led by telecom, banking, education and the e-governance initiatives of the Union and the state governments, he further added.

As per the MAIT-IMRB study, the assembled desktops – the smaller lesser known regional brands and unbranded systems, accounted for 39 per cent of the desktop sales in Q3FY09, while the proportion of the branded desktops was 61 per cent. MNC brands accounted for 48 per cent of the market while the Indian brands accounted for the rest 13 per cent.