Are desktops passé? Forget the ‘tablet' revolution in gadgets, the sale of laptops, notebooks and netbooks, too, has been on the rise globally. In India too, computer-users are trading their desktops for ‘on-the-move' mobile computing devices that allow them to carry their work and data and digital belongings wherever they go.
Here's the proof. Sales figures for mobile computing devices, mainly laptops, have grown by 65 per cent during 2009-2010, beating the staid old desktop which registered five per cent growth. A survey by India's hardware companies' consortium, Manufacturers' Association for Information Technology (MAIT), reveals that 80.3 lakh computers were sold.
About 55 lakh units out of the total 80.3 lakh computers sold were desktops. Twenty-five lakh notebook/netbook units were sold.
The survey also reveals that the notebook growth is primarily driven by the household segment which accounts for 56 per cent of the total sales. Even establishments and businesses showed a preference (perhaps driven by cost-cutting) for mobile PCs.
