During the Covid-induced lockdown, PC demand surged, primarily driven by online schooling and work-from-home arrangements. But, with the reopening of schools and offices, demand for PCs began to decline in 2022.
In 2023, the Indian computer market registered a 6.6 per cent decline compared to the previous year. However, HP Inc. continues to hold a big market share compared to the others. In Q1 2024, HP topped the chart with 30.1 per cent market share and second nearest rival Lenovo has a 15.1 per cent market share.
Vineet Gehani, senior director (personal systems), HP India believes 2024 will be a good growth year not just for the company, but also for the PC industry as well. He noted that the newly released Copilot+ PCs--HP EliteBook Ultra and HP OmniBook X, and upcoming AI PC models, will help HP further increase its market share.
"After the Covid period, 2023 was a softer year relatively. But, the good news is, we are seeing growth in the last couple of quarters. So, this (2024) is a growth year for HP. HP is growing faster than the PC market (India). AI PCs offer an opportunity for growth for the industry as well as for HP, to continue its growth trajectory and increase the market share. As long as we are expanding the product portfolio for our business clients on one side and consumers on the other side, we will continue to lead the market," Vineet Gehani said to DH at the HP product launch event in Bengaluru.
In addition to Copilot, the new HP EliteBook Ultra and HP OmniBook X come with HP AI Companion, a personal AI assistant for boosting productivity and creativity.
HP AI Companion is capable of analysing documents, PDF files and audio or video content, and offers insights with key points and summaries.
"HP AI companion will make AI features more intuitive in terms of doing tasks more efficiently and discovering on-device features easier. It can also learn from the user behaviour, preferences and what their requirements are and will deliver better user experience in a more personalised way," Gehani noted.
HP's latest computers are eco-friendly too. The devices come with 50 per cent recycled aluminium in the covers and 100 per cent sustainably sourced materials for packaging. They boast EPEAT Climate+ Gold registration and ENERGY STAR certification. With a full charge, HP's latest laptops can deliver up to 26 hours under normal usage.
"We remain very committed to sustainability. All our products come with recycled materials and repurposed ocean-bound plastics," said Vineet Gehani.
HP's latest OmniBook X (meteor silver) and EliteBook Ultra (atmospheric blue) are available for prices starting at Rs 1,39,999 and Rs 1,69,934, respectively at HP World Stores, HP Online stores and authorised retail outlets in India.
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