Asustek Computer Inc (華碩) yesterday introduced new notebook computers, but not its promised new ZenFone 4 series, casting a cloud on the outlook for its smartphone business this year.
“We will host a product event for ZenFone 4 sometime in June,” Asustek chief financial officer and spokesman Nick Wu (吳長榮) told reporters after a pre-show news conference in Taipei, ahead of the opening of Computex Taipei today.
Asustek CEO Jerry Shen (沈振來) on May 11 said the company would introduce its latest ZenFone 4 series during the pre-show conference and would start shipping the new models next month at the earliest.
It was not the first time Asustek has delayed the introduction of its flagship ZenFone 4.
In December last year, Shen said the company would launch new models in March to sustain its growth momentum in the second quarter as the ZenFone 3’s product life winds down.
Asustek chairman Jonney Shih (施崇棠) and Shen yesterday left the product launch immediately after the conference ended, giving no time for reporters to ask questions.
Wu said the delay is to improve the industrial design of the new handset. He did not elaborate.
Smartphones contributed 20 percent to Asustek’s total brand sales of NT$98.2 billion (US$3.26 billion) in the January-to-March quarter.
The company on May 11 forecast that smartphone revenue would drop by between 20 percent and 25 percent, this quarter from the first quarter and that the business would fall into red due to a lack of new flagship models to drive sales.
The company’s operations should rebound next quarter, supported by the launch of its new high-end ZenBook series, mid-end VivoBook series and the upcoming ZenFone 4 models, Wu said.
The momentum should also gain support from products under its new gaming brand Republic of Games, such as motherboards, monitors, notebooks and desktops, which are scheduled to be introduced in Taipei today, he said.
The new commercial notebooks, which range from US$499 to US$1,299, are to begin shipping between the end of next month and the beginning of July, Asustek said.
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