On Thursday (October 19th) local time, the Indian government announced that it would allow unrestricted imports of laptops and tablets, and launched a new "authorization" system aimed at monitoring the shipment volume of such hardware without damaging market supply.
Officials said that the new "import management system" will come into effect on November 1st, requiring companies to register the quantity and value of imports, but the government will not refuse any import requests and will use these data for monitoring.
Senior official of the Indian Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology S Krishnan stated that the purpose of doing so is to ensure that the necessary data and information are obtained to ensure a fully trusted digital system.
Krishnan added that based on the collected data, further measures may be taken after September 2024.
On August 3rd of this year, India announced that it would restrict the import of personal computers, including laptops and tablets. Companies need to apply for a license in advance to be exempted. India's move is mainly aimed at boosting its electronic manufacturing industry and reducing its dependence on imports. However, due to criticism from industry and the US government, India immediately postponed this decision.
For manufacturers such as Apple, Samsung, Lenovo, and HP, the latest decision from the Indian government can undoubtedly give them a sigh of relief.
The Indian Cellular and Electronics Association (ICEA) expressed deep appreciation for the government's decision to maintain unrestricted imports of laptops and tablets.
From April to August this year, India's imports of electronic products and software (including laptops, tablets, and personal computers) reached $33.6 billion, an increase of nearly 8% compared to the same period last year.
According to data from analysis company Canalys, HP ranked first in the Indian computer market last year with a market share of 31.6%, followed by Lenovo with a share of 19.8% and Dell with a share of 14.3%. In the tablet market, the top three are Samsung, Apple, and Lenovo.