Content-creation laptops log rise in sales

Taiwanese tech giant Asus says the demand for laptops catering to the needs of content creators is on the rise in India. It is expected to touch between 10 and 20 percent share of the consumer PC segment in the coming years, following the trajectory of gaming PCs. Asus has launched a new series of ‘ProArt’ laptops, hoping to push its share of the consumer PC segment in India to twenty percent in the first half of 2022.

According to Arnold Su, Asus India Business Head Consumer and Gaming PC (System Business Group), the gaming market in India this year will be around 7.5 lakh units. At least 15-20 percent of that requirement is from the content creation field. “There will be at least 1.5 lakh units a year directed to this kind of requirement...” Asus is expecting to hit one million units in the gaming market by next year, maintaining the ratio at around 20 percent. Meanwhile, content creation-related laptops “will be up to around two lakh units a year, which is around 3-4 percent of the entire consumer PC market,” Su explained.

Three to four percent might not seem large now, Su agrees, but the growth trajectory of this burgeoning segment is similar to that of the gaming laptop category, that has been witnessing strong growth in the last few years. “... we see it will continue to grow to 10 to 20 percent similar to the way the gaming laptop is growing,” Su said.

The launch of the ProArt series means an expansion for Asus’ consumer PC lineup. Designed to meet the needs of content creators and consumers, the laptops feature industry-first innovations, like the ASUS Dial and a touchpad that can support the stylus.

Along with the flagship ProArt Studiobook 16 OLED, the company has also launched a series of VivoBook across AMD/Intel with two variants - 14-inch and 16-inch, the VivoBook Pro 14 and VivoBook Pro 15 OLED, VivoVivoBook Pro 14X OLED, and VivoBook Pro 16X OLED.

Product pricing starts at Rs 75,000 and will be sold both online and offline. The ProArt Studiobook range will be available from January and will be priced at Rs 1,69,990.

Discussing the consumer PC market, Su said the market is expected to continue its growth trajectory, albeit at a slower pace, in 2022. “India’s PC market in 2020 was about 4.5 million units of consumer laptops,” he said. They estimate this number to rise to 5.5 or 5.6 million, which is a substantial 22 percent growth. “Next year, we estimate it to be around six million, which means we are adding another 10 percent growth. Growth speed might slow down but the market will continue to grow,” he said.

Leon Yu, Regional Director, System Business Group at Asus India and South Asia, said the company strongly believes in building a complete ecosystem for consumers by equipping them with not just innovative machines but also enabling proper grooming for them. “India is an important market for us and we will continue to introduce innovation designed to meet the emerging needs of the Indian community,” he added. -(PTI)