The combination of ongoing load-shedding and work-from-home surging due to lockdowns and fuel price increases have seen laptop sales skyrocket in South Africa. Tech distributors have also noticed other work-from-home products sell in vast numbers recently, increasing revenue across this segment significantly.
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“We have had meaningful notebook revenue growth along with other ‘work from home products’ like networking, accessories and monitors,” Alviva Holdings CEO Pierre Spies said. This large increase coincides with a massive drop-off in desktop sales. This is partly due to cannibalisation, but also as a result of the ongoing chip shortage which has led to huge premiums on desktop computer parts as the demand has completely outstripped supply.
“We have seen the laptop re-emerge as the centre of our digital lives as the need for remote work has increased, and it has become clear that the mobile phone is not adequate for video conferencing and productivity,” Stef Michael, tech marketing exec at JD Group, said. “Simply put, we need larger screens and comfortable keyboards and form factors to work effectively from home.”
Having a stable electricity supply is critical to support remote working, and load-shedding can make remote working difficult for employees without some form of backup power at home. It also increases the costs of working from home if the employer doesn’t have added benefits like back-up power for its employees. Costs to consider include the installation of an inverter or generator, the cost of the equipment itself, and fuel for those who decide on going the generator route.
