HP enters sub-50K notebook market

With the launch of its Compaq Presario notebooks at Rs 49,990, HP has entered the entry-level Indian laptop market. The product is designed to cater specifically to the needs of segments such as SOHO, SMB, education and sales personnel whose primary requirements are mobility and technology at an affordable price. The Compaq Presario notebook will be available through HP’s retail and micro-retail outlets. 

Ravi Swaminathan, VP, Personal Systems Group, HP India, said, "The notebook market in India is expected to grow by 50-60% and our aim is to have a dominating presence in that market." The ratio of desktops to notebooks in India is 1:30, while a country like Thailand boasts of a ratio of 1:6, with notebook sales outstripping that of desktops. HP aims to change this equation in India with this sub-50,000 notebook launch.

Ravi added that this debut did not mean that HP will neglect the high-end notebook. "With our wireless initiatives and the WiFi notebook, there will be more launches soon in this space." However at the lower end, it wants to bring down the price barrier so that the real drivers in a mass market can benefit and embrace computing on the move.

According to IDC, India is the third-fastest growing notebook market in the Asian region, with a compounded annual growth rate of 21.9%. While many factors can be credited to this resurgence in the notebook segment, the biggest driver is probably the fact that businesses are recovering and posting healthy numbers. Today, even non-IT companies are giving notebooks to their executives in a bid to boost productivity. The spurt in laptop usage can be attributed to the increasing usage of IT, and the automation of the sales force in sectors like pharmaceuticals and fast moving consumer goods. 

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