Home PCs Compute In China

Although the roughly US$1,000 price tag is major money for most Chinese families, more than 25% of them expect to purchase a home PC during the next year. Less than 2% of Chinese households currently have a computer, relates Advanced-Forecasting-HuiCong, a Sino-American joint venture making the market forecast. "The major use of the home PC is for child education, which is the top issue for the current one-child Chinese families," says Peng Fu, chief analyst for Advanced-Forecasting-HuiCong. Since credit cards are virtually nonexistent in China, computer and other major purchases are often planned a year in advance.