Asustek Computer Inc (華碩) launched a new netbook computer yesterday — a day after its closest rival introduced its newest low-cost model. Asustek also announced plans to buy back NT$2.88 billion (US$83.2 million) in shares on the open market to lift shareholders’ earnings.
On Tuesday, Acer Inc (宏碁) launched its latest version of the Aspire One and claimed to have led the netbook market in Taiwan, Japan and Europe last year.
Asustek, however, questioned Acer’s claim, saying it was the leader in the netbook market in Japan and seven European countries last year, based on the latest reports published by market research firms BNC and GFK.
Moreover, “in the US market, Chuck May, our new recruit from last year, has successfully pushed Asus products into Best Buy, and is now aggressively working on other channels,” said Lillian Lin (林倩如), an Asustek director.
May was formerly the senior vice president of retail product planning at Gateway Inc, which was bought out by Acer in 2007.
The company believes its 10-inch 1000HE netbook, which can be pre-ordered at Amazon.com, will be its best defense against Acer, as it boasts 9.5 hours of battery life, 802.11n wireless technology and is equipped with an N280 CPU in a more ergonomic design package.
“Since the beginning of 2009, our EeePC has topped the bestseller charts on Amazon.com by taking the first three spots. Meanwhile, the 1000HE is currently Amazon’s No. 2 and No. 3 bestsellers,” said Jose Liao (廖逸翔), a notebook product manager at Asustek.
As Asustek is reducing its model variety this year, it will have only two major netbook offerings: the 8.9-inch and 10 inch versions, Liao said.
The company will offer different specifications of the 10-inch model, which will retail at NT$15,900, NT$16,900, NT$17,900 and NT$19,900, to meet consumers’ varying needs, Liao said.
The 8.9-inch model will continue to retail at NT$13,900, the company said.
Asustek said yesterday that its inventory was under control. Last month alone, the company recorded a sizable sell-through of 22,000 netbooks across various local channels, capturing 75 percent of the domestic market, it said.
Chief executive officer Jerry Shen (沈振來) told an investor conference earlier this month that the company hoped to reduce its inventory period by about 20 days to between 40 to 50 days by the end of the current quarter.
Shares of Asustek rose 1.4 percent to close at NT$32.60 yesterday on the Taiwan Stock Exchange.
Asustek also said in a stock exchange filing that its board had approved a share-repurchase program. It plans to buy back NT$2.88 billion or 60 million shares at between NT$23 and NT$48 per share on the open market. The buyback starts today and will run through April 18, the filing said.
Netherlands-based semiconductor equipment supplier ASML Holding NV yesterday said that it is planning to hire an additional 1,000 people in Taiwan this year in response to growing demand from clients. ASML had previously planned to recruit 600 people this year, but that the plan has been adjusted upward, ASML vice president and ASML Taiwan general manager Grace Wang (汪佳慧) told reporters. ASML has a workforce of more than 4,500 in Taiwan, accounting for about 10 percent of its global total, Wang said. This year’s recruitment campaign would focus on adding people in the customer support, manufacturing and supply chain domains to assist ASML
UNDER MICROSCOPE: Taiwan detained three people who allegedly conspired to buy servers in Taiwan and export them using fraudulent documentation, prosecutors said Nvidia Corp chief executive officer Jensen Huang (黃仁勳) on Saturday urged Super Micro Computer Inc to tighten up on compliance after Taiwan detained three people this week for allegedly making fraudulent declarations about artificial intelligence (AI) servers made by its US partner. The development marked the nation’s first crackdown on semiconductor smuggling, which grew after the US slapped restrictions on exports of high-end chips such as Nvidia AI accelerators to China. Nvidia is “rigorous” in explaining regulations to all of its partners, Huang told reporters after arriving in Taipei. “Ultimately Super Micro has to run their own company,” he said in response to
Nvidia Corp yesterday announced that CEO Jensen Huang (黃仁勳) would attend an employee meeting in Taipei tomorrow to celebrate the launch of the company’s Taiwan headquarters project. Huang would attend a gathering at the site of Nvidia’s planned headquarters in Beitou Shilin Technology Park (北投士林科技園區), the company said in a statement. After arriving in Taiwan on Saturday last week, Huang told reporters that he plans to meet with Quanta Computer Inc (廣達) chairman Barry Lam (林百里) and Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電) chairman C.C. Wei (魏哲家), and would attend the groundbreaking ceremony for Nvidia’s Taiwan headquarters tomorrow. Nvidia has not yet applied
Huawei Technologies Co (華為) said it has come up with a new pathway to shorten its gap with industry leader Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電), potentially achieving a breakthrough in making advanced semiconductors without cutting-edge equipment. Right now there is about a five-year gap between what TSMC is capable of and what Huawei, together with its manufacturing partner Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corp (中芯), can produce. Huawei is to start making 1.4-nanometer chips by 2031 with its own “LogicFolding” technology, Huawei semiconductor chief He Tingbo (何庭波) said in a rare public appearance during a chip conference yesterday, while TSMC has
RSS