With retailers in the US and Europe gearing up for the Christmas shopping season, in Taiwan computer electronics makers are bracing themselves for IT Month, one of the busiest times of the year.
Acer Inc has dropped the prices of its 19-inch liquid-crystal display (LCD) monitors, heralding stiff price competition during the annual computer and electronics fair, which provides an excellent venue for consumers hunting bargains, especially in laptop computers and LCD monitors.
PHOTO: CHUO YI-JUN, TAIPEI TIMES
The electronics fair is being held in the Taipei World Trade Center's Exhibition Halls I and III and officially starts on Saturday.
PHOTO: GEORGE TSORNG, TAIPEI TIMES
"The main target in the price wars will be 19-inch LCD monitors, as prices for 17-inch models have already fallen to below NT$9,000 per unit this summer," Danny Yao (
Yao expects price cuts for 19-inch models in excess of NT$5,000 during IT Month, while 17-inch models should be around NT$2,000 cheaper.
BenQ is in a neck-and-neck race with Chi Mei Corp (
Latecomers such as Asustek Computer Inc (
Last year, HannStar Entertainment Corp (
"This year, we won't be the one pulling the trigger," HannStar En-tertainment manager Vivi Chou (
"But our price strategy can be much more flexible than that of our rivals. We could join the battle if competitors spark price wars," she said.
Chou expects NT$8,999 to be the bottom line for a 19-inch LCD model.
Although computers and related products usually take the limelight at the annual IT Month expo, digital camera vendors also want to exploit the chance to showcase their latest products.
Him Technology Inc (華研國際), previously know as Taiwansoft Technology Inc (台灣超軟), will debut its latest 4-megapixel digital camera, called SEXI, under the DigiMaster brand at the fair.
Him Technology does not plan to offer any discount for the slim digital camera, which is targeted at female consumers. The model is priced at NT$11,700.
Portable digital music players are no doubt one of the hottest products of the year, representing a fashion statement rather than just an advanced version of a CD walkman.
With storage ranging from 4GB to 40GB, Apple Computer Inc's iPod family is many consumers' first choice in hard-drive-based MP3 players. But Apple won't cut its prices by even NT$1 during IT Month, although students, as well as teaching and administrative staff, can buy the products with six interest-free installments.
Apple's booth will also take orders for the "iPod photo" and "iPod U2 Special Edition," which were introduced to the Taiwanese market this week. In addition to music files, iPod photo is capable of storing 25,000 photos. The iPod U2 is the result of a partnership between Apple, the rock band U2 and Universal Music Group, bearing band mem-bers' autographs and containing songs from U2's latest album.
Another market favorite is BenQ Corp's (明基電通) Joybee series, the market-leading flash-based MP3 player in Taiwan. During IT Month, BenQ will offer discounts of NT$300 to NT$400 on the Joybee series and throw in a free case, charger and USB plug.
BenQ will also debut its first hard-drive-based player, the Joybee 720, which has a 5GB capacity and is priced at NT$9,990, down from the original NT$12,990
Other brands are also set to offer big discounts to grab the huge market. Sony Corp announced that it would reduce the price of its Network Walkman series by NT$2,000, and Singapore-based Creative Technology Ltd will give discounts of up to 40 percent off. TaiwanSoft Inc's (台灣超軟) Digimaster, Worldwise Co's (鼎翔科技) Miruku, and the largest MP3-player manufacturer in South Korea, iRiver, are also ready to boost sales with various give-aways during IT Month.
Those looking for notebook computer bargains can expect a slew of new products offering something both cool and useful for every budget.
Hewlett-Packard (HP) Taiwan announced that its was slashing the price of its 14-inch wide-screen Pavilion dv 1019 by NT$15,000. It is equipped with a Pentium M725 central processing unit (CPU), 60GB hard disk, combo burners and remote control, and will be priced at NT$46,900 at the expo.
To outpace its rivals, Synnex Technology International Corp (聯強), Taiwan's largest computer and electronics chain, will give away an iPod Mini worth NT$9,000 to the first 100 consumers who pay NT$49,900 to purchase a Lemel M8011, equipped with a 14-inch wide screen, Pentium M725 CPU (1.6 GHz), 60GB hard disk and DVD dual drive, on the first day of the expo.
Apple Computer Inc is slashing prices on its notebook iBook G4 series. The model with a 12-inch screen, PowerPC G4 CPU (1.2 GHz), 30GB hard disk and DVD burner will be priced at NT$36,900 during the nine-day exhibition. Students and teachers are eligible for a six-month, no-interest instalment scheme.
Grainew Co (
The vendor will sell its A60 model for under NT$30,000 and upgrade the CPU of its 14-inch A50, priced at NT$39,900, to Pentium M725 (1.6 GHz) from the original M715 (1.5 GHz) free of charge for the first 100 buyers during the show.
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