Laptops are all set to outsell conventional desktop systems in Kerala, latching onto the growth in IT and allied sectors and opening up of the educational sector for private professional courses in a big way.

With laptops becoming as essential an adjunct as mobile phones of young professionals and students alike, computer sales are moving into top gear in the state, with the moveable version close to edging out the desktop systems.

According to industry sources, 30 per cent of computers now being sold in Kerala are laptops and the trend is likely to go up to 35 to 40 per cent by the year end, with the country recovering from the impact of the global downturn.

The state-sponsored schemes like IT@school and computer literacy drive also help computer sales with laptops forming a good chunk of systems required by such programmes.

Besides their handy nature, steady fall in prices, availability of a large variety of designs and sizes, upgraded facilities also have led to a boom in the laptop market.

"Most reputed brands like Sony, Dell, HP, LG, Toshiba, Apple and HCL have their active presence in the local market, mainly targeting the youth. These days, it is a trend among youth to have a laptop, the same as they flaunt a trendy mobile phone," said Remil, a computer dealer from Kozhikode.

"Mobile phones have become an inevitable tool because of their mobility and handiness. The same thing helps the fascination for laptops to grow. Moreover, it has also become a status symbol," Remil said.

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