Multifunction peripherals are expected to undermine the inkjet printer market in the near future, thanks to a drop in prices and the prevalence of digital cameras and camera cellphones, market watchers said yesterday.
"We are expecting multifunction peripherals to take over the single-function inkjet market in the next few years, as the market has experienced exponential growth for the past two years," Maggie Tan, an analyst with the market research firm IDC, told the Taipei Times yesterday.
Multifunction peripherals generally include printers, fax machines, scanners and copiers. These devices allow computer-free printing through the use of memory cards from digital cameras, personal digital assistants (PDAs) and cell phones with built-in cameras, which are widespread among consumers.
Due to the convenience these products offer, sales of multifunction peripherals have grown 180.4 percent from the first half of last year to the same period this year, Tan said.
In the Asia-Pacific region, Hewlett-Packard Co leads the market with some 50 percent market share in the first half of the year, followed by Lexmark International Inc's nearly 25 percent, according to IDC statistics.
HP said the drop in prices is an important factor in the boom.
"Our all-in-one series of printers has been selling like hot cakes because of their multiple functions and affordable prices," said Selena Yu (
A base model "hp psc 1210" that combines a printer, scanner and copier sells for NT$3,999, cheaper than most color printers or photo printers.
The trend can also be seen at the IT Month exposition being held at the Taipei World Trade Center Exhibition Hall.
Epson, which quit the multifunction peripherals market in 2001, came back this year with two new products at the annual computer trade show.
"Home digital printing is an irresistible trend, which makes the multifunction devices an extremely important market for us," Sure Lee (李隆安), president of Epson Taiwan, said at yesterday's launch ceremony. "According to our research, multifunction devices, especially those with the photo-printer feature, will grow by 60 percent in 2004 over this year."
Epson also announced yesterday an alliance with Sony Corp, Apple Computer Inc, Konica Co and Nokia Corp, hoping to expand its market share in photo and all-in-one printers. With the partnership, imaging products from these companies will be bundled with Epson photo printers at lower prices, Lee said.
HP seemed unconcerned with the challenge from Epson.
"We have maintained our market share so far," Yu said. "Even so, Lexmark's market share has been nibbled at by Epson."
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