Diwali fever has already gripped the city, and this time around for Dhanteras (which falls on October 15) Chennaiites are no longer focused solely on the traditional option of buying gold or even the more practical household appliances on this auspicious day. Instead, people are choosing to invest in high-end gadgets like designer cell phones, the Nintendo Wii, home security systems, gaming consoles and other items of a similar category. With the major brands and showrooms in the city offering large discounts on these gadgets, the city’s tech wish-list seems to be interminable.
Actor Ramakrishnan says a major part of his Diwali shopping this year is going to be for gadgets. “I will be shifting my house soon, so I am concentrating on purchasing all the high-end gadgets that will make my life easier. Jewellery doesn’t interest me, and gadgets are much more useful for a bachelor like me. A new designer phone and a home security system are the first two things on the list, since my phone is old and I need to ensure that my new house is safe,” he says.
With gaming majors offering heavy discounts on their consoles and games, several youngsters in the city are planning to buy these high-end gadgets. SonyPlaystation for instance has brought down the price of the PS3 console by 20 per cent. Atindriya Bose, country manager, PlayStation, says, “We’re offering some huge discounts on the complete range of gaming consoles since we want to make gaming a mainstream habit for the Indian audience. Our aim is to make this a very affordable entertainment avenue.”
For the students, the playstations and Mac Books are on their ‘must buy’ list. Gushes Prithvi Mani, a third year law student from the city, “I’m planning to buy an Apple Mac Book Pro now, as the prices have been slashed from around Rs 81,000 to around Rs 60,000. This is the best time for buying such gadgets because of the discounts.” Anand Jayaram, a student of game design in the city, says, “I’ve just bought a new computer, and I’m planning to invest in a liquid cooling system for it. A PSP3 and a Nintendo Wii console are also on my wishlist, but I’m not sure I can afford them even after the discounts.”
City stores say that when it comes to regular home appliances, the television set is the most sought-after product. GK Nagaraj, Store Manager, Viveks Mylapore says, “The Plasma TVs and large LCD screen TVs are moving very fast among customers. Almost 70 per cent of our sales so far for the Diwali season have been for TVsets.”
Moolah-wise hot buys
* The Nintendo Wii and Plasma TVs are the most popular items on people’s wishlists. The Nintendo Wii, originally priced at around Rs 27,000 is now available at around Rs 24,000 while Sony LCD TVs have discounts of Rs 5,000 on combined purchases.
* Sony PS3 has gone down from Rs 24,990 to
Rs 19,990
* Apple Mac Books are also being sold at a discount of around Rs 20,000
* Several game console manufacturers are also giving out free games priced between Rs 1,000 and Rs 3,000.
* According to new RBI rules, if you receive a gift worth more than Rs 50,000, you will have to pay a Property Tax depending on your income scale