Almost all categories grew by double-digit percentages year on year, mainly due to a lacklustre performance in the same period last year when the entire country was under lockdown, said Canalys
PC shipments in India saw a 43 per cent year-on-year growth in the second quarter of 2021, reaching 4.1 million units, an all-time high in five years, as per research firm Canalys.
The 4.1 million shipments comprised half a million desktops, 2.5 million notebooks and 1.0 million tablets. Shipments of notebooks, the largest category by volume, grew 43 per cent over 2020’s second quarter. Tablets also had one of their best quarters since 2016, with 52 per cent year-on-year shipment growth. Desktop shipments were up by 23 per cent.
Almost all categories grew by double-digit percentages year on year, mainly due to a lacklustre performance in the same period last year when the entire country was under lockdown, said Canalys.
“The market has finally returned to pre-COVID shipment levels,” said Canalys Research Analyst Ashweej Aithal. “While desktops and notebooks haven’t really seen a major bump in shipments, tablets are in much higher demand than before, resurrecting what was a dying category in India. Due credit for that should be given to remote learning, as well as the accelerated digital transformation of multiple industries and processes. As we look ahead to the second half of the year, Canalys is positive about the Indian PC market, as major government and educational tenders, which were put on hold due to the COVID-19 Delta variant wave, are now re-tendered.”
HP maintained its leadership position with shipments up by 54 per cent. HP grew its notebook shipments by 59 per cent. Lenovo finished in second place with a flattish 3 per cent year-on-year growth.
“Part of the reason for this slower-than-average growth was its strong performance in the same period in 2020 when it managed its supply chain better than its competitors and ensured healthy market sell-in,” said the report. Lenovo’s notebook shipments fell by 3 per cent while its tablet shipments grew by 16 per cent.
Dell came in third with a 12.8 per cent market share, growing 40 per cent annually. It grew in all product categories and maintained its stronghold in the commercial segment, where it has seen 71 per cent year-on-year growth.
Samsung finished fourth, thanks to its strong tablet business. It grew shipments by a massive 134 per cent year on year. Acer finished fifth as the vendor topped Apple and grew its total shipments by an impressive 95 per cent year on year.
“Compared to western markets, long-term demand in India remains low. While COVID-19 has helped move the needle slightly when it comes to PC penetration, it has been unable to generate a lot of demand, as vast portions of the population still regard PCs as a luxury, not a must-have. Added to that, India also has some of the poorest broadband penetration rates in the world. While the long-term outlook for PCs in India is still positive, it is not going to outshine the US or Western Europe,” added Aithal.
