The demand for laptops in Romania hit an all-time high, as education moved online. Laptop imports increased by 39 percent in Romania compared to the same period a year ago, the latest data from Eurostat reveals.
In previous years, laptop imports peaked in November in anticipation of end-of-year shopping. However, as countries adjusted to the crisis caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, more people started working remotely, studying from home, and relying on virtual meetings to contact friends and family; because of this, the demand for portable computers skyrocketed in April 2020, the study shows.
Laptop imports grew by more than 30 percent in two EU Member States: Romania (+38 percent) and Denmark (+35 percent). There were nine countries where imports grew by 20-30 percent and a further nine where imports rose by 10-20 percent.
The move to online education forced families to upgrade their hardware and purchase new PCs because even children in kindergarten had and still have online classes, economist Árpád Szabó told Hungarian news portal Székelyhon. The number of imported laptops was also affected by the government’s public acquisition of laptops and tablets for children in need, he added.
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