Laptops struggle to become more popular<\/p>\n
Urip Hudiono, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
Working as a software developer, Christianto often has to serve
\nhis clients on-the-spot in different areas of Jakarta.<\/p>\n
On one day, just as an example, he had to set up his company's
\ncustom program for a client in South Jakarta's Blok M district in
\nthe morning before moving to another client on Jl. Sudirman,
\nCentral Jakarta, in the afternoon.<\/p>\n
A laptop computer -- apart from a motorcycle to weasel his way
\nthrough the city's chronic traffic jams -- is thus crucial for
\nhim to get his job done efficiently and on time.<\/p>\n
\"With a laptop, I can easily hook up to the client's computer
\nnetwork and upload the program I've prepared to their server,\"
\nChristianto said. \"Install it, hack it a bit to suit their
\nserver's configuration, and it's a mission accomplished for me.\"<\/p>\n
Similarly, freelance writer Ronny also preferred a notebook
\ncomputer -- as laptops are also called -- due to its convenience
\nand mobility.<\/p>\n
\"I decided to buy a laptop because you can get the same
\nperformance of a desktop computer without all the bulk and
\nclutter of cables,\" he said. \"I can also bring it along with me
\nand stay online when I have to travel out of town.\"<\/p>\n
When Ronny experiences the much-dreaded writer's block, he can
\njust pop a DVD into his multimedia-enabled laptop and watch his
\nfavorite movie until that rush of inspiration comes along.<\/p>\n
Whether it is for serious work or (more) serious play, laptops
\n-- along with their sibling electronic gadgets of cellular phones
\nand personal digital assistants (PDA) -- have become a norm in
\ntoday's fast-track digital world, where accessing information
\nanywhere and staying productive on the go is a must.<\/p>\n
In Indonesia -- despite a slight sag in sales last year and
\nthe fact their market share is still being overshadowed by the
\nmore affordable desktop computers -- laptops are expected to pick
\nup in popularity this year.<\/p>\n
Research firm Gartner noted that laptop sales in Indonesia
\nreached 95,876 units last year, while market analyst IDC
\nIndonesia recorded sales of 74,250 notebooks. In 2003, the
\nfigures were slightly higher at 99,834 and 75,450 respectively.<\/p>\n
Laptops currently make up between 10 percent and 15 percent of
\nthe country's total personal computer (PC) market, and have
\nexperienced an average growth of 10 percent over the last three
\nyears.<\/p>\n
Gartner analyst Lilian Tay was, however, content with his
\nestimation that laptop sales in Indonesia would rise this year,
\nsaying last year's downturn was due to market jitters from the
\n2004 general elections.<\/p>\n
\"Notebook demand in the professional segment slowed down, but
\nthe private segment continued to show growth,\" he said, adding
\nthat the mind-set that considered laptops as premium products
\ncould change as the need for them rises while their prices
\ncontinue to drop.<\/p>\n
IDC analyst Fajar Roosman also expressed similar optimism,
\nforecasting that laptop sales would grow 13.4 percent this year
\non the back of an increasing mobile workforce and robust consumer
\nsegment.<\/p>\n
\"The price difference between notebooks and desktops are also
\ngetting smaller as vendors continue to provide channel incentives
\nand end-user promotions to increase market adoption,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Information technology (IT) expert Rudy Rusdiah of the
\nIndonesian Computer Business Association (Apkomindo) agreed,
\nsaying global laptop makers are making advances every day to
\ndeliver economic scales in their manufacturing of laptop
\ncomponents, particularly of the pricey liquid crystal displays
\n(LCD).<\/p>\n
\"The bottleneck in reducing laptop prices is in LCD prices,\"
\nhe said. \"If LCD prices can be slashed, it is not impossible that
\nwe could see sub-$1,000 notebooks.\"<\/p>\n
Laptops are offered at $1,300 for lower-end products, and up
\nto $2,000 for higher-end ones.<\/p>\n
Vendor-wise, Japanese laptop maker Toshiba and U.S.-based
\nHewlett-Packard and IBM have always competed fiercely to unseat
\none another from the top spot in Indonesia's laptop market.<\/p>\n
Tailing the trio are Japanese Fujitsu, NEC and Sony, Taiwanese
\nAcer and ASUS, and U.S. Dell, to name a few. Meanwhile,
\nrefurbished or used laptops are grabbing a piece of the market as
\nwell.<\/p>\n
Rudy also pointed out that the \"lifestyle\" factor -- staying
\nonline on the Internet and joining the wireless fidelity (WiFi)
\nexperience -- could also boost laptop sales in the future.<\/p>\n
\"Corporate executives usually look for full-featured laptops
\nwith powerful graphic displays and WiFi capabilities, with some
\nstress on the weight factor for best mobility,\" he said. \"College
\nstudents, meanwhile, put heavy consideration on the price
\nfactor.\"<\/p>\n
WiFi has been knocking on Indonesia's doors -- with \"hotspots\"
\nset up in several places and many Internet service providers
\n(ISP) using the technology -- but its proliferation in the end-
\nuser segment is still to be proven. It could begin to roll,
\nhowever, as many laptops now come equipped with WiFi as standard.<\/p>\n
Apkomindo's Michael Sunggiardi said laptop sales could be
\nboosted even further wit several schools and universities
\nproviding laptops and WiFi facilities for their students.<\/p>\n
\"The digital life has inevitably come and resistance is
\nfutile,\" he said.<\/p>\n
A PC gamer enthusiast, however, said laptops could never
\nreplace desktops, as the former's stress on mobility had limited
\ntheir capability to run today's power-hungry, graphic-laden
\ngames.<\/p>",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
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