Demand for used PCs soars across Asia

Demand for used personal computers is outstripping supplies across Asia with a third of all second-hand PCs ending up in the emerging markets of ASEAN, a research house has said.

“The demand for secondary PCs continues to exceed supply, providing potentially lucrative opportunities for specialized intermediaries and resellers or vendors looking to resell used PCs,” said Gartner Inc.

One in 12 PCs in use worldwide is currently used.

“For every two new PCs shipped to mature markets this year, one secondary market PC will be resold,” analyst Meike Escherich said in a statement.

The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) groups Singapore, Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, the Philippines, Brunei, Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos and Myanmar (Burma).

Gartner defined a secondary-market PC as one that has been used for more than three months by its primary or initial user and then made available to someone else.

Across the Asia-Pacific region outside of Japan, 21 million PCs will be retired this year by firms and public corporations, Gartner forecast.

Demand for used PCs in Eastern Europe, the Middle East, Africa, Latin America and Asia is likely to grow as pressure increases on developing countries to accept used PCs as a viable technology solution.

The number of PCs in use worldwide is expected to reach nearly 1.4 billion by the end of the decade, up from the current 575 million, with the bulk of new additions coming from the populous countries of China, India, Indonesia and Mexico. (dpa)