The average household in the Asia-Pacific region excluding Japan has two personal computers (PCs) and a mini-notebook as an additional PC, according to a recent IDC survey.

"Despite mini-notebooks flying off the shelves, which helped to buoy PC volumes especially during the economic crisis in 2009, limited cannibalization of regular notebook sales is expected across the region," said Reuben Tan, senior manager of IDC Asia-Pacific personal systems research.

Among the survey respondents, 60 percent indicated that they would still purchase a regular notebook as their next PC.

Respondents across the region said they prefer to buy a PC from an IT mall in general. Most respondents in China, India, Malaysia, and Singapore indicated that the length of warranty and after-sales support were the most important factors influencing their decision in purchasing a new PC.

On the other hand, the PC brand and store location were among the least important concerns when purchasing a new PC.

Across the region, PCs were primarily used for online news and information, followed by entertainment, games, and educational purposes.

Over half of the total respondents said that they were likely to purchase a new monitor only to replace a faulty monitor, while only about 16% were willing to buy a new monitor when prices became more affordable, or to upgrade their current monitor to a larger size.

The report entitled "Asia/Pacific Consumer PC Buyer Behavior," polled 2,263 new PC buyers across the Asia-Pacific region for their PC buying preferences which covered Australia, India, Korea, Malaysia, China, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand, and Vietnam.