PC Sales Skyrocket 14 Per Cent In July-September Period Following Import Licensing Announcement

In a surprising turn of events, the sale of personal computers (PCs) in India, encompassing both desktops and notebooks, witnessed a remarkable 14 per cent surge, reaching 4.5 million units in the quarter ending 30 September, compared to the same period last year, as per the latest data from the International Data Corporation (IDC).

According to IDC's Worldwide Quarterly Personal Computing Device Tracker, the desktop category experienced an impressive growth of 19.3 per cent, while notebooks saw a rise of 13.1per cent.

As per a report by Business Standard, the boost in sales is attributed to heightened demand fuelled by the Indian government's initial decision to impose import licences for PCs.

Although this decision was later deferred, vendors proactively shipped significant channel inventory to pre-empt potential supply shortages, price hikes, and to ensure ample supplies for the festival season sales.

Under the proposed norms, IT hardware companies would be mandated to register and disclose data related to their imports and the countries of origin.

The primary objective, according to the government, is to restrict imports of laptops and computers, particularly those originating from China.

Initially slated for immediate implementation, the measure faced industry objections, leading to its deferment.

The government is now working on a new management system to facilitate import authorisation for IT companies.

In the fiercely competitive PC market, the consumer segment witnessed robust growth of 26.3 per cent, while demand in the commercial segment remained stagnant.

HP maintained its market leadership, securing a 29.4 per cent share during the quarter, a significant increase from 23.9 per cent in the same quarter last year.

Following closely were Lenovo and Dell, with market shares of 17 per cent and 14.6per cent respectively.

However, Lenovo's share witnessed an 8.8 per cent decline from 21.3 per cent in the corresponding quarter of 2022, while Dell's share last year stood at 16 per cent.

Amidst the positive outlook, concerns loom over the commercial segment's demand, especially from enterprises, which is expected to remain subdued in the upcoming quarters.

Vendors are now directing their efforts towards increasing local assembly, anticipating a preference for locally assembled devices in government and education projects.