"To be fast, or offer good value is not enough" says Dheeraj from Delhi. He has switched three brands in the last two years and is currently happy with his Dell XPS machine but is secretly eyeing the Sony Vaio TZ series. Looks, style and practical design are some of the factors that have gained greater importance with the informed buyer. Satish from Bangalore doesn't mind less memory or storage space: "I can always upgrade the RAM and hard drive for as little as Rs 5,000 (US$100), but reliability, design and quality of materials stays with you till the end". Brands like Sony and Apple have also found a niche. The numbers may be low and buyers don't rate them as cost-effective but their scores on appeal and product quality are consistently positive. Eight out of ten Apple Mac book buyers are happy with their purchase, but they have concerns over lack of upgrades and how exorbitant accessories are.

Adapt to market needs or perish

Lenovo has very high regard for the legendary "ThinkPad" series but at the consumer level, there is concern on the lack of choice. "I love my 2-year-old ThinkPad. It's built like a tank and I never worry about taking extra care," says Ninad from Mumbai. He feels that the newer ThinkPad's not up to the mark. Acer users rate their laptops high on value but the lack of "appeal" and "grace" was a letdown. "I have used Acer during college and it worked fine for its price. Now that I am starting work, I want something professional and classy" says Amit from Mumbai. Brands like Toshiba, Fujitsu, LG and HCL are yet to strike a chord here, and our survey indicates that they have a minuscule market share. Those numbers weren't enough to give a clear understanding of their market position.

Inkjet Printers