全球二手PC市场增长强劲
作者： RH
责任编辑： 阚智
来源： 《电脑商情报》
时间： 2005-08-27 06:10
关键字： 二手PC
The market for used personal computers is growing fast with the number of secondhand PCs in use expected to double to more than 100 million by 2009, experts said Wednesday, as demand for cheap machines rises in the developing world.
These days, one in 12 computers in use around the world has been pre-owned, Gartner analyst Meike Escherich wrote in a report. For every two new PCs shipped to mature markets this year, one will eventually be resold in the secondary market, Ms. Escherich said.
Around the world, there are currently 55 million secondary PCs in use. By 2009, that figure will double.
The strongest demand comes from the developing regions of the world, where users are hungry for refurbished computers that can run hundreds of dollars cheaper than new ones. In 2004, about 2.3 million used machines were imported into Eastern Europe while 2.4 million headed for the Middle East and Africa. The Asia/Pacific region saw 2.9 million imports of pre-owned computers.
“The market is highly opportunistic, but is limited by the economics of refurbishment and user preference,” Ms. Escherich wrote.
The value of a reusable computer is based on condition, brand, format, volume, and specifications. That’s a complex mix that may help explain the fact that the number of computers ultimately made available for reuse doesn’t always match with demand.
Promising Market
Despite challenges, the market could prove lucrative as more developing companies rush to catch up technologically with the rest of the world.
“There is a way to make money from it, but we have to recognize that there are systems of maintenance, of installation, and of electricity [availability] that really have to be addressed,” said Wilber James, managing general partner at Rockport Capital Partners. Mr. James has had close business ties to Africa since he worked as a Peace Corps volunteer in Kenya many years ago.
“I know of Peace Corps workers who come back here [to the United States] looking for good computers to use in their schools in Africa, and it’s very hard to find them,” Mr. James said.
That’s in part because some businesses or would-be Good Samaritans use developing countries as dumping grounds for electronics that are of no practical use and are too expensive to recycle. The average recycled value of a PC is about $4, Ms. Escherich said.
But recycling legislation around the globe could be an added incentive for businesses to pour their old computers into the secondary market. In Japan and the United States, laws require businesses to foot the cost to properly dispose of electronics.
Starting in 2006 the European Union will place that responsibility on the manufacturers of such equipment. Selling to the secondary market, then, makes monetary sense.
Several Obstacles
But there are other, legal obstacles. Since refurbished computers must have their hard drives wiped, that means more licensing fees to reinstall an operating system. Import tariffs reduce the number of machines moving from developed regions like Western Europe, the U.S., Japan, and Australia, into emerging markets.
There’s another challenge. Folks in developed countries must realize that even if computers are used, buyers don’t want junky machines. While used PCs don’t need to be able to support Microsoft’s upcoming Vista operating system, potential buyers like businesses, governments, and individuals in emerging markets need computers that function properly. Slow or hopelessly outdated machines won’t find any takers.
“People in Africa may be poor, but they’re terribly sophisticated,” Mr. James pointed out. He added that it’s not uncommon in Kenya to see a Masai warrior in full regalia, with a cell phone strapped to his belt.
Ultimately, more used computers will likely end up going to the grave than going to the afterlife as a used computer. Of the machines retired around the world in 2004, only 36 percent were ultimately reused.
Nevertheless, the monetary and legal costs of reselling used computers could be worth it, as the secondary market could prime the pump for demand for new computers.
“Secondary market shipments do not come at the expense of worldwide primary PC shipments, because reuse is often short term and a relevant option only when money for new PCs isn’t available,” Ms. Escherich said. “In fact, the secondary market may instead seed the market for new PCs
These days, one in 12 computers in use around the world has been pre-owned, Gartner analyst Meike Escherich wrote in a report. For every two new PCs shipped to mature markets this year, one will eventually be resold in the secondary market, Ms. Escherich said.
Around the world, there are currently 55 million secondary PCs in use. By 2009, that figure will double.
The strongest demand comes from the developing regions of the world, where users are hungry for refurbished computers that can run hundreds of dollars cheaper than new ones. In 2004, about 2.3 million used machines were imported into Eastern Europe while 2.4 million headed for the Middle East and Africa. The Asia/Pacific region saw 2.9 million imports of pre-owned computers.
“The market is highly opportunistic, but is limited by the economics of refurbishment and user preference,” Ms. Escherich wrote.
The value of a reusable computer is based on condition, brand, format, volume, and specifications. That’s a complex mix that may help explain the fact that the number of computers ultimately made available for reuse doesn’t always match with demand.
Promising Market
Despite challenges, the market could prove lucrative as more developing companies rush to catch up technologically with the rest of the world.
“There is a way to make money from it, but we have to recognize that there are systems of maintenance, of installation, and of electricity [availability] that really have to be addressed,” said Wilber James, managing general partner at Rockport Capital Partners. Mr. James has had close business ties to Africa since he worked as a Peace Corps volunteer in Kenya many years ago.
“I know of Peace Corps workers who come back here [to the United States] looking for good computers to use in their schools in Africa, and it’s very hard to find them,” Mr. James said.
That’s in part because some businesses or would-be Good Samaritans use developing countries as dumping grounds for electronics that are of no practical use and are too expensive to recycle. The average recycled value of a PC is about $4, Ms. Escherich said.
But recycling legislation around the globe could be an added incentive for businesses to pour their old computers into the secondary market. In Japan and the United States, laws require businesses to foot the cost to properly dispose of electronics.
Starting in 2006 the European Union will place that responsibility on the manufacturers of such equipment. Selling to the secondary market, then, makes monetary sense.
Several Obstacles
But there are other, legal obstacles. Since refurbished computers must have their hard drives wiped, that means more licensing fees to reinstall an operating system. Import tariffs reduce the number of machines moving from developed regions like Western Europe, the U.S., Japan, and Australia, into emerging markets.
There’s another challenge. Folks in developed countries must realize that even if computers are used, buyers don’t want junky machines. While used PCs don’t need to be able to support Microsoft’s upcoming Vista operating system, potential buyers like businesses, governments, and individuals in emerging markets need computers that function properly. Slow or hopelessly outdated machines won’t find any takers.
“People in Africa may be poor, but they’re terribly sophisticated,” Mr. James pointed out. He added that it’s not uncommon in Kenya to see a Masai warrior in full regalia, with a cell phone strapped to his belt.
Ultimately, more used computers will likely end up going to the grave than going to the afterlife as a used computer. Of the machines retired around the world in 2004, only 36 percent were ultimately reused.
Nevertheless, the monetary and legal costs of reselling used computers could be worth it, as the secondary market could prime the pump for demand for new computers.
“Secondary market shipments do not come at the expense of worldwide primary PC shipments, because reuse is often short term and a relevant option only when money for new PCs isn’t available,” Ms. Escherich said. “In fact, the secondary market may instead seed the market for new PCs
