One PC for every 50 Indians: IDC report

Fifty Indians now share a single personal computer (PC), according to a just-released report by IDC. The research firm's India Quarterly PC Tracker for the first quarter of 2007-08 (Q1FY08) pegs the Indian client PC (desktops and notebooks combined) base at 22 million - a figure that has more than doubled from 9.5 million in 2003.

Of the total client PC base for the financial year 2006-07, notebooks (or laptops) registered a scorching 85.6% growth since their average selling value dropped by 12.2% for the year. Desktops, on the other hand, grew by 11% year-on-year and surprisingly registered a 3.6% increase in their average selling value.

The performance was contributed to a large measure by buoyant commercial notebook shipments that grew on account of robust demand from the large enterprise, small and medium enterprises (SMEs) and education segments.

Piyush Pushkal, manager (PC research), IDC India said, "Affordability has pulled both the supply and demand sides together for the past few quarters in the notebook PC market. This form factor is expected to grow promisingly, with educational institutions as well as businesses being the major contributors."

Meanwhile, during Q1FY08, the overall client PC market grew 15.9% over the corresponding period last year (Q1FY07) in terms of unit shipments. Desktop PC shipments registered a growth of 6.3%, while notebook PC shipments showed a growth of 73.1% for Q1FY08 over Q1FY07.

"The country has one PC for every 50 Indians today. This represents a watershed era in the history of the Indian PC market. However, we still have miles to go as a country to evolve an ecosystem that would help to take this trend to the next level, so that the benefits of computerisation reach to the masses," Kapil Dev Singh, country manager, IDC India, said.