HP remains numero uno hardware vendor

In the January-March of CY2009, HP captured 18.2 per cent of the India PC market in terms of unit shipments, while HCL Infosystems, with a market share of 9.8 per cent of overall PC shipments, regained the second spot.

Dell, which jumped to the second position for the first time in the October-December CY2008 quarter, slipped back to the third spot in the quarter under consideration.

While Acer's market share dipped marginally from 7.7 per cent in the fourth quarter of CY2008 to 7.3 per cent now, Lenovo's share showed a more pronounced drop of 1.9 points, according to the IDC India study.

HP has been the number one vendor in the India PC market consistently every quarter over the last four years from 2005 to 2008.

"Moving forward, hardware in general and PC shipments in particular will continue to remain under pressure. Winners would gain a market share and improve profitability through the right price/volume mix and optimal exploitation of supply chain efficiencies," IDC India's Country Manager Kapil Dev Singh said.

The report said that, in the short term over the next two quarters, vendor positions in the India PC market would be largely determined by how well they are able to exploit the opportunities presented by the consumer, education and government segments.

"With the twin forces of market de-growth and loss of share, those vendors who do not occupy a clear niche in customers' minds would be under pressure," added Singh.

The India PC market witnessed a 7 per cent quarter-on-quarter (Q-o-Q) growth in shipments in the first quarter of calendar year 2009 and, despite the overall subdued market, the total installed base of PCs in India surged past the 36-million-unit mark.