Dell expects India Revenue to touch $800 Million in 2008

Dell Inc. is eyeing revenues in excess of $1 billion by fiscal 2009-10 from India by leveraging on increasing demand for laptops and increased focus on consumer market. For the company, India is its fastest-growing market and its personal computer sales in India grew 99 per cent from a year earlier in the first quarter.

Michael Dell, Chairman & CEO, Dell, who was in the country for the Asia launch of the Dell’s next-generation Latitude business notebooks, said the developing markets like India, the Philippines, Brazil and Russia were the fastest-growing markets for the company, with India leading the pack. “In India, we are targeting $800-million revenue in 2008. In the first quarter, we achieved around $200 million. We should be able to achieve $1 billion (revenue) next year (2009-2010) from India,” said Paul-Henri Ferrand, President (Asia Pacific), Dell.

Earlier, Dell was concentrating only on the corporate segment, from where it derives most of its revenue in the country. But, recently, it has started addressing the consumer and small and medium businesses.

According to Sameer Garde, General Manager, Dell India, “Dell is by far the number one player in India in the corporate segment. In the government business, we attained 9-per cent market share in a span of just five quarters and grew our consumer business by 500 per cent in the first quarter.”

Michael Dell said he expected industry computer sales worldwide in the second half of this year to exceed the first half as slowing economic growth globally drives computer demand as businesses look to improve efficiency.

Inspired by close collaboration with nearly 4,000 IT professionals and end-users, Dell announced a completely new line of Latitude and Dell Precision laptops, ranging from the lightest ultra-portable in the company’s history to the most powerful mobile workstation.

“Since 1995, we have shipped more business laptops worldwide than anyone,” said Michael Dell. “This, and our 5-million-plus conversations a day with customers, gives us real insight into the needs of the digital nomad. We are translating that insight into breakthrough productivity, portability and design. The new Latitudes are breathtaking.”

The new Dell Latitude range includes: 
* Ultra-Portable – Dell Latitude E4200 is a 12.1-inch laptop that starts at 0.99 kilograms, making it the lightest commercial notebook in the company’s history. The 13.3-inch Latitude E4300 has a starting weight of 1.4 kilograms. Designed for road warriors and executives who demand maximum performance and light weight, the systems will be available in the coming weeks. 
* Mainstream – The Dell Latitude E6400 and E6500 are 14.1- and 15.4-inch laptops that start at Rs.54,990/- and Rs.55,990/-, respectively. The systems are ideal desktop replacements for high-performance users. 
* Essential – The Latitude E5400, a 14.1-inch notebook, starts at Rs.46,990/-, and the E5500, a 15.4-inch notebook, starts at Rs.48,990/-. The systems include everyday features at a cost-effective price. 
* Semi-Rugged – The Latitude E6400 ATG is a 14.1-inch semi-rugged laptop that starts at Rs.69,990/- and will be available next week. It is built and tested to meet Military 810F standards from dust, vibration and humidity.

Dell will offer colours for the first time on Latitude laptops.–“The new Latitude laptops and Dell Precision mobile workstations represent the largest client product development effort in the history of Dell,” said Jeff Clarke, Senior Vice-President, Dell Product Group. “We have invested more than 1 million engineering hours and the result is a family of head-turning products that are as solid on the inside as on the outside, with features that enable better security, manageability and productivity.”

The company also previewed Dell Latitude ON, a new technology that will enable near-instant access to e-mail, calendar, attachments, contacts and the Web without booting into the system’s main operating system (OS).