PC sales seen at 4 mn in '04-05

Personal computer (PC) sales are projected to touch the 4-million mark during the current financial year on the back of a record 37 per cent growth to 1.71 million units in the first half of 2004-05, a MAIT-IMRB (Manufacturers' Association for Information Technology-IMRB) survey said.

Demand is on the rise due to high corporate consumption and small town demand and buoyancy in consumption is expected to continue in the second half of the current financial year, with the survey projecting 2.28 million sales in the period.

The share of assemblers and regional brands has declined to 44 per cent from 57 per cent in the first half of last year, while the share of Indian brands has increased to 23 per cent from 20 per cent earlier.

Aggressive marketing by multinational companies (MNCs) resulted in an increase in their share from 23 per cent in the first half of 2003-04 to 33 per cent during April-September this year.

In absolute terms, the share of Indian brands grew by 57 per cent, that of MNCs grew by 96 per cent and there was only a 5 per cent growth for assemblers.

Notebook sales recorded a high growth of 119 per cent and found their way into homes. During the first half alone, about 14,103 notebooks were sold to the households segment, accounting for 18 per cent of the total market.

Increased consumption by industry verticals such as telecom, banking and financial services, manufacturing, retail and BPO-ITES contributed to the PC penetration.