I have hit a Double Century

July 6 was a day of celebration for me. It was my elder son's birthday and
the day also marked my double century. No, I am not referring to century as in
cricket. It means that I have completed 200 months in CyberMedia, publishers of
this magazine. Incidentally, my double century coincided with Indians getting
their first victory in a cricket series in the West Indies after 35 years. So,
another cause for celebration.

However, when I look back, it doesn't seem to me that I have really
completed 200 months-almost 17 years here. Rather, to me it seems that I
joined here just yesterday as a rookie reporter who had neither any clue about
journalism nor about the IT industry in general. But I must admit that the 200
months have been full of learning and making a set of some lifetime friends.

Asim Raina Editor

When I started off way back in 1989, this industry was pretty small. Today,
it is an industry where close to five million PCs are getting sold. And if we go
by the recently released figures by IDC, maximum growth is happening in the
consumer sector. According to IDC, in fiscal 2005-06, consumer desktops grew by
33 percent whereas commercial desktops had a growth of just about 15 percent.
And in the JFM quarter of 2006, the figures further changed to 36 percent for
consumer and 14 percent to commercial desktops.

So, what does that indicate? It clearly indicates that retail is the biggest
and the most happening sector today. In fact, the concept of retail showrooms
seems to be catching the fancy of everybody, from the local vendors to the MNCs.
Everyday one gets to hear about a new retail showroom being opened somewhere or
the other in the country.

The most interesting fact is that these retail showrooms have not taken off
only in the metros, but also in smaller towns. According to some vendors, the
showrooms in the smaller towns are doing better business than the ones located
in the metros. Vendors claim that it is the market outside the metros, which
have a greater potential chiefly because of big concentration of industries in
these regions and also increasing affluence amongst the farming community.

Despite the all round happiness and optimism, the fact of the matter is that
the retail concept in the true sense of term is yet to make its presence felt in
the country. Even today, the retail showrooms act more as demo centers where the
customer gets a first-hand feel of the products and then goes off to Nehru Place
or Lamington Road to buy as he gets a better deal there.

It will be quite a while before the customer walks in with cash in his pocket
and buys the machine off-the-shelf. This is primarily because of the fact that
the PCs still don't have the capability of plug-and-play as compared to
televisions or refrigerators.

In summary, one can safely say that no doubt retail is big, however, it is
more of a showpiece rather than a showroom for the vendors. It will take some
more time before retail really picks up big in the country.