PC sales in Brazil spread to poorer folk

By Alberto Alerigi Jr. and Mauricio Savarese

SAO PAULO (Reuters) - People with lower incomes are increasingly buying personal computers as Brazil enjoys a period of prosperity, the president of Positivo Informatica (POSI3.SA: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz), the country's biggest computer-maker, said on Thursday.

"We are already reaching the top of Class D (in PC sales), maids are buying computers and workers in the informal economy who make 800 reais ($465) per month too," Helio Rotenberg said in an interview at the Reuters Latin America Investment Summit.

"We are seeing families in Class C with left-over money in their budgets and they are buying computers," he said.

In Brazil, Class C refers to families with a monthly income of around $580, while Class D is below that level.

Rotenberg said families are using the extra cash to buy better computers, not just basic ones, with a 19-inch LCD displays.

"We have a 1,799 reais complete computer with a 19-inch display. It sold more than any model, with a 79 reais payment installment. A guy who would buy with a 59 reais installment can now buy a PC with a 79 reais installment," he said.

Brazil advanced in the world rankings of personal computer sales in 2007, passing from 7th to 5th position, with sales of 10.7 million PCs, both desktops and notebooks.

That represents a jump of 38 percent over 2006 sales, according to the market data company IDC. It sees 2008 as being another excellent year for PC sales in Brazil.  Continued...