Tablets were expected to gradually make laptops obsolete. This was the prediction made by international experts few years ago. And Nepal was expected to witness a similar trend.

But computer stores in the Kathmandu Valley have reported robust hike in demand for laptops over the years, with sales growing by up to 35 percent per annum.

“Even though lots of tablets are available in the market, sales of laptops have not dropped in the Nepali market,” said Amar Lawat, marketing manager of MegaTech, the authorised distributor of Lenovo computers for Nepal, adding, “Sales have been growing by around 20 to 35 percent per annum over the last few years.”

One of the factors that is pushing up laptop sales, according to Lawat, is growing income level of people. Along with rise in earnings, population is also growing, which is pushing up sales, Lawat said. A standard laptop combines the components, inputs, outputs, and capabilities of a desktop computer, including the display screen, small speakers, a keyboard, hard disk drive, optical disc drive pointing devices (such as a touchpad or trackpad), a processor, and memory into a single unit. This makes laptop a portable personal computer.

Having a laptop allows the user to conduct tasks such as presentations, planning, photo and video editing, communication and more. Laptops are a common sight in schools, hospitals, banks and other enterprises. It provides the power of a desktop in a form factor that allows for ease of use and portability.

Various kinds of laptops from renowned brands like Dell, MSI, Asus, Acer, HP, Lenovo and Apple are available in the Nepali market. These laptops are priced ranging from around Rs33,000 all the up to Rs350,000. They can be categorised by segments such as : Business, gaming, ultrabooks, convertibles and netbook.

As technology continues to improve, companies are cramming all kinds of tech into laptops. One example is the introduction of touch screens on laptops. Touch screen laptops allows users to use their laptops with a more hands on approach, with precise input compared to using the touch pad or an external mouse.  There are even laptops with detachable screens, laptops that fold into a tablet form factor, further blurring the line between tablets and laptops. Despite the availability of such devices in the domestic market, people still prefer to buy traditional laptops.

“People usually don’t prefer touch screen or detachable laptops as it is expensive to replace or repair the screen,” said Super Shrestha, Sales Manager of Nagmani International. People are not used to with these kinds of touch screen Laptops, Shrestha added.