Laptops set to outsell desktops in Kerala

According to industry sources,30 per cent of computers now being sold in Kerala are laptops and the trend is likely to go up to 35 to 40 per cent by the year end,with the country recovering from the impact of the global downturn.

The state-sponsored schemes like IT@school and computer literacy drive also help computer sales with laptops forming a good chunk of systems required by such programmes.

Besides their handy nature,steady fall in prices,availability of a large variety of designs and sizes,upgraded facilities also have led to a boom in the laptop market.

“Most reputed brands like Sony,Dell,HP,LG,Toshiba,Apple and HCL have their active presence in the local market,mainly targeting the youth. These days,it is a trend among youth to have a laptop,the same as they flaunt a trendy mobile phone,” said Remil,a computer dealer from Kozhikode.

“Mobile phones have become an inevitable tool because of their mobility and handiness. The same thing helps the fascination for laptops to grow. Moreover,it has also become a status symbol,” Remil said.

Though laptops were till recently seen as the privileged preserve of professionals in the IT,telecom and finance sectors,the market focus now is mainly on students pursuing professional streams,he said.

The opening of the education sector for private and self financing institutions and the stride in professional education have given a clear edge to laptops over desktops.

A recent market study showed that while 70 per cent of students of professional courses own personal PCs,40 of them are laptops.

However,the computer business in Kerala is not all that rosy as the state has not been spared of the crushing impact of the global recession,according to the Manufacturers Association for Information technology (MAIT).

So the industry expects a comeback in the coming months,rather an upswing. But the first half report of the current year signalled an encouraging trend in the laptop sales.

As per MAIT projections,Kerala continues to be a strong market. While around 52,79,648 desktops were sold in India in the last financial year,laptops accounted for 15,16,459. This is projected to grow to at least 54 lakh and 19 lakh in 2009-10. This would mean that when there is a two per cent growth in desktop sales,laptop sales are set to register a 25 per cent growth.

Of the total national sales,Kerala is expected to account for five to 10 per cent. “Steadily lowering prices of computers is a major attraction which persuaded me to go for a laptop. Until a few years back,a man like me coming from middle-income group could not afford a laptop or palmtop. But now I can buy a laptop of my choice at the price of a good quality mobile,” said D Parameswaran,Accounts Manager of a city-based firm.

If the price of an average laptop was pegged at Rs 50,000 three years back,it has come down to Rs 15,000. According to dealers,70 per cent of widely selling laptops are priced in the range of Rs 20,000 to 30,000.

The demand for laptops in school education under the IT@school has also come as a boost for the industry. The State Government has purchased 3500 laptops this year alone.

The craze among youth for trendy laptops has forced companies to update facilities according to fast-changing tastes.

Colour trends in laptops are an evident example of it. While most laptops were black and white in the past,shades like red,blue and yellow are the favourite colours now,Anajana GS,an MBA student,said.

Facilities like memory upgradation,camera and Bluetooth have become common features. The weight and screen width are also trimmed to suit contemporary tastes.

“Now laptops having a minimal weight of 1-1.25 kg or screen width from eight inches are common,” Remil said.