Hewlett-Packard (HP) Taiwan Ltd is looking forward to solid business this year, fueled by demand for its personal computers and printing solutions, company executives said yesterday.
"This will be a year where the introduction of software will boost hardware demand," Dennis Chen (
He said that computer sales would be generated by the launch of Microsoft Corp's Vista operating system late this month, with momentum gathering from the second quarter onward.
As a variety of new gaming software will be available to cater to the newly launched game consoles such as Nintendo Co's Wii and Sony Corp's PlayStation 3, a new segment for gaming-based notebooks would also be greater, Chen said.
"These notebooks will have to be higher-end machines to support the smooth gaming operation, which will boost computer makers' average selling prices," Chen said.
HP Taiwan will continue to solidify its No. 3 position in the local notebook market, which has long been dominated by domestic brands Asustek Computer Inc (
HP Taiwan managed to eat into the commercial segment of IBM Corp after the latter's PC business was merged into Chinese vendor Lenovo Group Ltd (
Overall, HP Taiwan's personal system group -- whose businesses include notebooks, desktops, personal digital assistants and work-stations -- will post 10 percent more sales this year over last year, Chen said.
Meanwhile, the company's imaging and printing group (IPG) is aiming to improve its sales by 7 percent this year.
"The printing market will ride on a new boom this year, especially with more users opting for color printers instead of monochrome," said Edwin Huang (黃建章), IPG vice president and general manager.
Consumer confidence was low for much of last year, however, the IT Month expo put an end to that. HP printer sales increased 20 percent over the previous show, he said.
Market researcher International Data Corp said in a recent report that laser multi-functional printers (MFPs) saw total sales of 18,885 units in the third quarter last year, representing quarterly growth of 21 percent and an annual rise of 38 percent.
HP is the leader in the international A4 MFP printer market, followed by Samsung Electronics Co, the report said.
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