Every Indian wants a smartphone, and every Indian apparently wants a laptop too. Laptops are preferable because they come with the best specs and features, and Indians from professionals to housewives want them. There's a type of laptop for every use, from simple spreadsheet creation to dynamic gaming and programming. Nevertheless, in 2020, a sudden surge in the cost of laptops was observed, and consumers wondered why. Some models have seen an increase of 30% or more. As demand increased, supply became scarce.
Demand has increased because, literally overnight, the world has moved from physical offices to home workplaces, and the classroom has also moved into the home. Now, every student needed a laptop for e-learning – in middle income groups and average Indian households, laptops were in demand as smartphones were proving a bit small (although millions are used for e-learning).
Laptop brands were left on the sidelines, unable to ship their units and only having to rely on laptops that outlets had in stock. Some of the best laptops under INR 30,000 used to sell for nearly INR 45,000.
Normal again
While things have returned to a (new) normal with laptop shipments, consumers are finding prices still high. It's important to consider the context in which laptop prices (and sales) rose in 2020. Along with the world collapsing, not just economically but personally for many, new adjustments had to be made instantly.
Humans had to rise to the occasion (of a pandemic, no less), and while presence of mind ultimately prevailed, laptop brands struggled to ship their units for weeks, and they had no idea when they would.
It was a time of uncertainty, and she brought fear with her. This was the scenario, not only in India, but all over the world. If you wanted to buy the best laptop in india then, you should have distributed a lot more than you planned. Most people stuck with budget models because they had reached the price ranges of mid-range models.
Additionally, refurbished models were selling for INR 8,000 – INR 10,000 more than what was sold before. For example, a Dell refurbished laptop (4 years old with an i5 chip), sold for INR 16,000 in April 2020 went down to INR 25,000 in June 2020. Similarly, a Lenovo T450 refurbished business model went down from INR 16,000 at INR 24,000. .
Effects that last
The effects of confinement are still with us today. Many employees are still working from home, at the behest of their companies, and people have shown increased demand for laptops just to pass the time.
For example, as outdoor activities have been blocked and contact sports halted, people have switched to gaming on their laptops. Considered one of the best laptop brands overall, the Lenovo brand has dramatically increased the prices of its laptop models as demand for the brand has skyrocketed.
Some laptop brands couldn't even keep up with increased demand. E-commerce portal, Amazon, after wrapping up its Prime Day sale somewhere in August 2020, has positioned laptops as their number one selling product during the two-day shopping spree.
Moreover, flagship branded models like Apple's MacBook Air and MacBook Pro received orders from remote corners of India and failed to meet the demand. From April to June 2020, when the lockdown began, laptop shipments increased by 17.6%.
Laptops now
Laptop prices may have stabilized somewhat now, but the following reasons for laptop price increases may push prices up.
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