Brazil surpasses United Kingdom and gets to fourth place
Valor Econômico
The Brazilian market consumed 13.7 million computers last year and rose from the fifth to the fourth position among the countries that sell more PCs in the world, shows the consulting firm IDC. With the result, Brazil has surpassed the United Kingdom in a ranking that has the United States at the top, followed by China and Japan. The sales of notebooks, netbooks and desktops in the country increased 23.5% compared to the result of 2009, when the sector sold 11.1 million units and faced its first historical fall - a 6.5% fall compared to 2008 - as a result of the global economic crisis.
The behavior of the market in 2010 exceeded the expectations of the consulting firm, which projected the sale of 13.2 million computers last year. The performance was driven by the more aggressive prices set by the international manufacturers and followed by the Brazilian suppliers. "The focus on the country became an obligation in view of the economic growth", says the IDC research manager, Luciano Crippa. "Furthermore, our potential base of users is still very large, while in more mature markets the fight lays on the tablets and netbooks".
The aggressiveness of the manufacturers resulted in the anticipation of the promotional sales to the third quarter of 2010, a little uncommon practice in the market. Even so, the Christmas sales helped for a total of 3.6 million machines sold between October and December, exceeding in15% the sales of Q4 in 2009. Crippa assesses 2011 will be the year of change in the sales of portable computers, which will represent 51% of the machines sold in the country. In 2010, the participation was 45%.
The phenomenon has already happened in the residential market: last year, the consumers bought more portable equipment for their homes (56.5%) than desktop computers. Crippa says he also believes that, for 2011, the sales of tablets will make difference in the market. With projected sales of 300 thousand units of that type of product in 2011, the mobile devices (notebooks, netbooks and tablets) may represent 67% of the equipment purchased for residential use.
Among the companies - responsible for 27% of the machines sold in 2010 - desktops will still reign, but there is room for handheld computers. "Today, more than 70% of the machines purchased by businesses are desktops, but there is an interesting factor that is the entrance of the tablets I have seen in the hands of many executives at meetings", says the IDC analyst. According to Crippa, the sales of PCs for companies, including the sectors of Government and education, grew 20% last year, after a 22% fall in 2009. "We expect the recovery takes place throughout 2011", says the analyst.
For the IDC, the tablets are here to stay and bother the NetBook market, whose sales totaled 1.5 million units in 2010 - well below the 3.5 million foreseen for portable devices. The projection for 2011, however, is growth to 2.6 million units. In the Brazilian market, according to Crippa, the netbooks will lose their turn in 2013. The growth of 14.5% of the PC market in 2011 is considered healthy by the IDC and it should keep the country in the fourth position of the market at least until 2014. He considers the projection is quite optimistic in face of the competition the country faces in the top of the ranking.