Tags: Hardware Solutions, Internet, Technology Industry
By Alexander Villafania
MAKATI CITY, METRO MANILA – Along with the enormous demand for tablet PCs, there is also a good market for laptops as more Filipinos are expected to reach financial affluence.
PC penetration among Filipinos still low because of pricing, according to a local executive of Korean consumer electronics firm Samsung.
The cost of PCs today are still slightly above the purchasing capabilities of many Filipinos, which often puts off the need to purchase PCs, said Eric Sulit, Information Technology Head for Samsung Electronics Philippines.
While there are no specific studies on the number of households with computers, estimates are about 20 percent PC penetration, based on the number of Internet users.
However, Sulit said that with the Philippine economy recovering, as well as the presence of overseas Filipino workers (OFW) and the outsourcing industry, buying a computer becomes well within reach.
He also noted that computers are becoming a necessary tool for just everything, from schools to office work, and communication on social networks. Confronted by these needs, Filipinos could be looking to buy computers to accommodate these needs.
“The cost of entry is going down for PCs, especially laptops, and the functions of the devices are improving. There is also a need to have a PC to become productive,” he said.
On the other hand, there is already a shift towards purchasing laptops over desktops due to a number of advantages, one of which is mobility. Due to popularity of social networking, a lot of Filipinos would want to have their laptops with them wherever they go to connect to Facebook and Twitter.
In addition, because the cost of home access to the Internet remains high, some Filipinos welcome free WiFi access wherever they go. “This is why you see laptops being used in malls and coffee shops because the owners want to get free Internet,” said Sulit.
More importantly, he said laptops have become more viable because these are being priced reasonably. Certain models could go as low as P25,000.
Despite the ease of use touted by tablet PCs, Sulit said laptops will always be a primary device for users.
Samsung recently introduced its Series 3 305UA1A laptop model, which runs on AMD’s dual core E-450 “Brazos” processor. This model has an 11-inch LCD monitor, 2 gigabytes of memory, 500 Gb hard disk space, and an integrated AMD Radeon graphics processor.
Related stories:
Social networking seen driving tablet PC use among Pinoys
Social media, ‘green tech’, tablet PCs among 2011 growth areas for tech firms in the Philippines
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