Computer Hardware Update: 2/7/09

TOSHIBA INDIA ROLLS OUT NEW NOTEBOOK PCS
Chennai
The Hindu

Toshiba India has launched its new line-up of notebook PC products. The range comprises two mini-notebook PCs and four mainstream notebook PCs. The new range is loaded with design features, says a release.

PC PLAYERS REJIG PLANS TO TIDE OVER SLOWDOWN
Surabhi Agarwal, New Delhi
The Financial Express

After a deep lull in the PC market that lasted for almost six months, the desktops and laptops space has been witnessing renewed action in the last few weeks. While there have been several product launches from the stable of leading players like HP, others like Acer and Lenovo are carrying out major re-branding exercises in order to rejig their India strategy.

According to market analysts, the slowdown in demand has forced major players to re-look their overall India strategy and they are seeing this as a perfect time to plug loopholes and carry out the necessary changes before the market picks up again.

"The consumer market is showing some signs of recovery and players want to create enough excitement in the market right now. They want to be ready with the right kind of offerings," said Diptarup Chakraborti, principal research analyst at market research firm Gartner Research. He added that India continued to be hugely under-penetrated in terms of its overall PC penetration, which also explains the action in the space.

While HP launched six notebooks (including one priced at Rs 23,000) recently, Lenovo topped it by introducing seven new products, which included an all-in-one desktop and a netbook. According to Lenovo India's managing director Amar Babu, the company has so far focused largely on the premium end of the segment. It is now aggressively looking at the entry level and the value-for-money segment. Levono will introduce 50 new products in India, which will span the entire range of the spectrum.

LENOVO WANTS TO DO A CHINA IN INDIA
New Delhi
The Times of India

Personal computer (PC) manufacturer Lenovo, struggling at the fifth position among PC makers in India, is looking at emulating its China success in other emerging markets including India.

"We have restructured our global business and have divided markets into the emerging and developed market categories. Our thrust remains on the emerging market because of the tremendous potential, and we will bring in the best practices from China to these markets," Lenovo India managing director Amar Babu said.

"India remains on the top of the pack in our emerging markets business," he told reporters here.

Lenovo, which started off as Legend in 1984 in China, commands over 30 percent of the computer market there. The big deal which sprang the regional player into the international arena was the acquisition of IBM's personal computing division in 2005.

"We have grown over a 100 percent in terms of market share after we took over IBM," Babu says.

According to technology research firm IDC, Lenovo's market share slipped from 6.6 percent of the Indian PC market in the last quarter of 2008 to 4.7 percent in the first quarter this year when the Indian PC market contracted 19 percent year-on-year.

SAMSUNG LAUNCHES NEW CHANNEL FOR SALES
Hyderabad
The Hindu Business Line& The Economic Times (Mumbai edition)

Samsung, a leading consumer electronics products company, has opened a new channel for sales by opening its first ‘IT brandshop’ here on Wednesday. .

“Most of our sales, up to 95 percent, come from channel and government business. We have decided to give a big push to direct retailing through the branded IT shops,” Ranjit S. Yadav, Director (IT Business), of Samsung India, said.

The exposure to channel and government business helped Samsung from being hit by slowdown. He, however, refused to spell out the financial figures for Samsung India.

Yadav, along with Jung Soo Shin, President and Chief Executive Officer (South West Asia), Samsung, was here in connection with the launch of the maiden IT retail shop.

Yadav said the company would next go to eight top cities, including New Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore and Chennai, to set up branded outlets.

The outlets would sell all consumer products from Samsung ranging from mobile phones, cameras, notebooks and printers. The wi-fi enabled outlets would let customers “experience the products,” Yadav said.