Changes on the market of electronic devices and computers never stop happening, as new trends emerge and older ones become a thing of the past. The purpose and functionality of desktop computers and laptops change — as do Russians’ expectations.
The major driving force and reason for any recent developments on the computer market (and in other sectors) is, of course, the pandemic with its lockdowns and telework. These factors have significantly affected the sales of various devices and customers’ preferences. However, they have not reshaped the market completely. Redistribution of market shares among computer and laptop manufacturers on a global scale is unlikely, for two main reasons which complement each other: as the demand grows, there is also a shortage of essential computer parts. Obviously, that causes problems to major market participants by disrupting their supplies. For smaller companies, this shortage poses even more risks.
For instance, the CPU market is witnessing major changes related to the growing popularity of ARM chips that are replacing traditional processors. Another major example is the decision of Apple to abandon ‘old’ processors in favor of ARM-based solutions developed by an Apple subsidiary. Windows and ChromeOS are also picking up on this trend.
As for consumer behavior, it has also been affected by the pandemic, which has prompted a radical shift in how much people work and study from home. Even when the pandemic ceases, people will unlikely want to ever return to the office or waste time sitting in traffic, so a global revision of work and education format is inevitable. It will affect the requirements for computers and laptops that people use at home. If they need to perform CPU-intensive tasks and their home computer is only good for watching movies or browsing the net, they will have to purchase a new, high-performance one. It is especially important for people with a creative career such as designers, video editors, and others. If a designer used to work with contemporary and high-performance equipment in the office, they will need a ConceptD-type device — powerful, quiet and reliable — at home.
Gaming desktop computers and laptops can sometimes do the trick due to their high computational capacity. This is what we are witnessing now: the sales of gaming computers are on the rise everywhere.
In Russia, there is growing demand for budget gaming devices due to Russians’ relatively low purchasing power. That is, a basic gaming PC for the Russian consumer has the following specifications: AMD Ryzen processor, Nvidia GTX 1650, 8 GB RAM, 256GB SSD and a 15.6-inch monitor screen. At the same time, many manufacturers offer both basic gaming devices in popular specifications and at reasonable prices, as well as more advanced ones that use breakthrough technologies and conceptual design.
By Dmitry Kravchenko, CEO, Acer Russia