HUNDREDS walk through the showrooms, eyeing the latest gadgets – laptops, webcams, printers and MP4 players. Many are browsing with bags under their arms, having already purchased a piece of the latest computer gear to hit the country. The success of the recent ICT exhibition at Tatmadaw Hall in Yangon, held in early May, shows Myanmar people are keen to learn about IT technology.
But for many, the price of new computer technology is prohibitive and their only possible opportunity to be part of the IT revolution is through a second hand computer.
Most who take this option are content to just send emails and write word documents, or simply want their children to be familiar with how to use a computer.
Second hand computers might not be as slick as the latest models but they can complete most basic functions with ease, said a salesperson from Winter Root Computer, a retailer in Mandalay.
“[For these functions] second hand computers can be just as useful as the newest models,” said the salesperson, adding that the availability of cheap units with Pentium 4 processors has made second hand computers a more attractive option for customers. “There’s a pretty big difference between a P3 processor and the faster P4 CPUs. For about K200,000, we can get a good computer that will enable us to log onto a network and use the internet.”
Ma Mee Mee, a second hand computer user from Yangon said she was pleased to see many second computer retailers now offered six-month and one-year warranties.
“When I first bought a second hand computer five or six years ago, there was no warranty and I had problems with the motherboard. But I had no idea how to fix the computer myself,” she said. “Now we don’t have to worry about something going wrong in the first six months.”
Ma Aye Sapay Aung, from computer retailer Do Do Ko Ko, agreed warranties have helped tempt customers to buy second hand.
“Now, there are both six-month and one-year warranties for computer sales and service and people have more confidence to buy second hand computers and are happy because they can get a computer at a reasonable price,” she said.
Most second hand computers range in price from K150,000 to K400,000.
