Intel, the world?s largest chip maker, feels that consumer buying in the PC segment is relatively getting stable globally as well as in India. Though the enterprise segment is still being cautious, the small and medium (SME) segment and consumers are showing positive signs of recovery.
?Generally, the second half of the year is always better than the first. However, times were going pretty bad. But we are seeing some positive trends as far as consumer and SME segment is concerned,? commented R Ravichandran, director (sales), Intel South Asia. ?Hence, we are expecting that the second half of the year is going to be better in terms of PC buying, as the festivities such as Diwali and others are coming up,? he added.
A new study by MAIT, the apex body of IT hardware firms, estimated the total PC sales in India dipped by 7% in 2008-09, but is likely to grow by 7% in 2009-10 with total sales expected to cross 7.3 million units.
?While 2009 started with a lull in government purchases, there is now a healthy ICT tender pipeline. Moreover, other segments are also showing improvement. One more positive sign is that most of the big IT companies in India have shown positive growth, which is also helping to improve the sentiments of buyers,? commented an industry analyst.
Intel feels PC sales have bottomed out during the first half in India and the industry can now expect a sizeable recovery. Moreover, in India, the consumer segment and SMEs are showing better signs as far as PC buying is concerned. According to Intel, the second half should be better in India with the festive season coming up. Hence, the chip maker is working with OEMs and trade partners to grow adoption of their latest platforms in this subdued market.
Enquiry and purchases are also gradually starting from the enterprise segment as they want to refresh their PC infrastructure to control costs.
?The corporate segment is also showing some positive signs as there are inquiries from that segment regarding refreshing their current PC infrastructure. In all the optimism in IT is greater,? said Ravichandran.
Intel expects newer form factors like ultra-slim notebooks will drive PC sales in the top-end of the market. The chip giant is also betting on its Atom processors to drive growth in value computing through netbooks and net tops.
However, the chipmaker feels that it is difficult to predict that when the market will go back to normalcy.
?Things are definitely looking better, but it is difficult to say that when we?ll see purchases happening like the normal times,? commented Ravichandran.
