India PC market records 11% growth in Jan-Mar '08

With over 1,000 personal computers (PCs) sold in the country in the January-March period of 2008, the overall PC market in India grew by over 10 per cent during the said period, a study said.

In January-March quarter, 2.1 million PC units were exported, against 1.9 million units in the corresponding period in 2007, a study by research firm IDC said.

This took the total shipments in FY 2008 beyond the 8.25-million mark, recording a year-on-year growth of 22.3 per cent. Shipments in FY 2007 were at 6.75 million, it added.

The IDC study on the domestic PC market across India found shipments of commercial PCs at 5.55 million, against 2.71 consumer PC shipments during the year.

The study, which also focused on consumers buying decision pattern, found that individuals were one of the biggest buyers of "whitebox" PCs, which are PCs assembled by small independent shops rather than the larger brands available across the country.

However, on the commercial side, buyers increasingly chose major brands both local and multinational.