India’s personal computer (PC) shipments, which comprises desktops, notebooks and workstations, jumped to a record 4.5 Mn units during the July-September quarter of 2023, marking a 14% year-on-year (YoY) increase, according to a data from the International Data Corp (IDC).

According to IDC’s Worldwide Quarterly Personal Computing Device Tracker, the desktop category experienced a growth of 19.3% and notebooks saw a rise of 13.1%. The increased sales were linked to a greater demand for inventory, driven by the government’s decision to impose import licenses for PCs.

In the PC market, while the commercial sector showed no change, the consumer sector witnessed a significant increase of 26.3% compared to the previous year.

In a statement Bharath Shenoy, senior research analyst, IDC India, said, “In August, the government of India declared a mandatory requirement of import licenses for PCs from October 30. Though this decision was later put on hold, vendors shipped significant channel inventory to avoid any risks of supply shortages or price hikes, not to mention ensuring sufficient supplies for festival season sales.”

In August, the Indian government restricted the immediate import of laptops, tablets, and personal computers (HSN 8741 category). The Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT) simultaneously announced an exemption from import licensing for up to 20 items per consignment, applicable to activities like research and development (R&D), testing, benchmarking, evaluation, repair and return, and product development.

During the quarter, HP Inc maintained its market leadership, capturing a 29.4% share, up from 23.9% in the same quarter last year. Following HP were Lenovo and Dell, holding market shares of 17% and 14.6%, respectively. However, Lenovo experienced a decline of 8.8%, dropping from 21.3% in the July-September quarter of 2022. Dell’s share in the same quarter last year was 16%.

Asus accounted for 12.5% of all sales during the quarter and saw the highest jump in its shipments, at 43.9%. Its market share last year was 9.9%. As per IDC, Acer pushed stock on online channels and hence had its biggest consumer quarter ever.

Brands like Dell, Acer, Samsung, Panasonic, Apple, Lenovo, and HP dominate the Indian laptop and PC market. In 2022, the traditional PC market, including desktops, notebooks, and workstations, experienced a marginal year-over-year growth of 0.3%, reaching 14.9 Mn units. However, there was a significant year-over-year decline of 28.5% in the fourth quarter of 2022 (Oct-Dec), as reported by IDC.