Laptop sales are rising in India, which now accounts for over 25 per cent of the total personal computer (PC) market, an industry body said on Tuesday.

The Manufacturers Association for Information Technology (MAIT) said in its Industry Performance Review 2007-08 that notebooks were now affordable and the new models had enhanced security features besides other in-built accessories. MAIT executive director Vinnie Mehta said laptop notebooks account for a quarter of the total PC market in the country, up from less than 3 percent four years ago.

"With shifting consumer preference in favour of notebooks over the desktop, this proportion will only get larger with time. It accounts for over 25 per cent of the total PC market in 2007-08," Mehta said."The establishment segment as well as the households witnessed healthy growth in laptop sales," the report said.

On the other hand, assembled desktops and unbranded systems witnessed a slowdown of over 12 percent in sales accounting for 33 percent of the total desktop sales in 2007-08.Sale of desktop computers and laptops are expected to touch 8.5 million this fiscal, the report said. Last year, 7.34 million units were sold.

MAIT president Mukul Singhal said there was an urgent need to strengthen the broadband infrastructure in the country. He said the prices of PCs and other access devices in India were one of the lowest in the world.Also, the number of active internet users has increased to 7.2 million by March 2008, while the figure was 6 million units in March 2007.