Laptop buyers refuse to bite AI bait

Can AI eventually boost laptop sales?

- Shouvik Das

Artificial intelligence (AI) may be the bleedingedge tech of today, and tomorrow, but an attempt by laptop brands to hawk so-called "AI PCs" has left consumers distinctly unimpressed. The laptops, which come with specialized Al-compliant processors, are priced anywhere between 30% higher and double that of regular, top-of-theline laptops, and are supposed to give users an edge in AI-related tasks.

It is the price differential that has left consumers cold.

According to industry experts, consumers prefer to buy regular notebooks and simply install ChatGPT or Gemini or other such high-tech generative AI (Gen AI) software, at a fraction of the cost, even free. On their part, laptop brands insist that enterprises are lapping up the new products, and picture a future where the AI laptop will be default when it comes to buying a computer. Today, though, the picture is starkly different. Data sourced from market researchers Counterpoint India and International Data Corporation (IDC) India showed that as of 30 April, the market share of AI devices in the entire laptop market of more than $5 billion is under 5%.