In the past PC sales were driven by the need for business applications such as word processors and spreadsheets. Today the decision to buy a PC, particularly for the home environment, is largely motivated by a need to access the Internet - and for home networking. The general trend towards interconnectivity and global communication has made the Internet a very desirable tool; no longer are PCs the domain of the stereotypical computer geek but have become an everyday appliance that makes life easier.
Kevin Sanderson, brand manager for Vision PC products at SDD Local Brands says this trend is on the increase: "There is been a paradigm shift in the consumer buying trend. The average home PC buyer is now looking to be connected to the worldwide web because of the many conveniences that the Internet offers."
Whereas a few years ago the Internet was used mainly as an information resource, it is now being widely used as a communication tool and increasingly to perform online transactions and purchases, he explains. Sanderson notes that while gaming does play a part in driving demand, PCs tend to compete well with gaming consoles - "Clearly a multimedia system boasts significantly more functionality than a gaming console," he observes.
Progressively more families have two or more PCs in the home, networked to share an Internet connection and peripheral devices such as printers. Family members can swap files; play networked games, or just e-mail friends and family. "A few households have even shown their domestic servants how to shop for goods over the Internet. That way whenever stocks run low in the home the domestic servant simply logs on and makes the required purchase," states Sanderson.
"In addition, the boom in the mobile professional market means people need to be connected at home to be in touch with the office," he continues. "As the Internet becomes more desirable to the `man in the street` and more and more services are offered via the web, this trend will continue to intensify," he concludes.
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SDD/OTG
SDD, the focused IT company in the Siltek Technology Chain Group, is South Africa`s largest broad-based distributor of information technology. SDD encourages black empowerment opportunities and is the partner of choice of several leading vendors. It distributes a wide range of `best of breed` hardware and software products, as well as peripherals, components and consumables. SDD configures branded hardware and builds-to-order Xylo, Vision, Laptech and Fujitech, its own range of PCs. SDD has branches in Gauteng, Cape Town, Port Elizabeth, East London, Durban, Bloemfontein and Nelspruit. Outside South Africa, the company has partnerships in Namibia, Botswana and Zimbabwe.
Siltek Limited
Siltek Limited is the leader in the Southern African Technology Supply Chain with a turnover of R3-billion in the year to end-June 2000. Listed on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange, Siltek comprises complementary operating divisions namely, Volume Distribution, Specialist Distribution and Supply Chain Services.