Tatung Co (
The "elio" brand is also expected to build a new image for the 85-year-old company as part of its efforts to appeal to younger generations, the major consumption force for portable electronics products.
"Young people recognize the Tatung brand, but may not identify with it," said Alan Pan (
PHOTO: GEORGE TSORNG, TAIPEI TIMES
"Therefore, we would like to demarcate our products by launching different product lines. This is also a global trend," he said.
The event yesterday showcased the first product to be released under the new brand name, the Photo Jukebox, an MP3 player that can display photos stored from digital cameras.
The 178-gram unit is installed with a 2.2-inch diagonal colored screen and has a capacity of 20 gigabytes, capable of storing up to 5,000 songs or 7,000 photos.
The company targets women, commuters, sports lovers and people aged between 18 and 35 as the potential customers for Photo Jukebox, which is priced at NT$14,500, Pan said.
Tatung one of a number of electronics vendors that launched new MP3 players recently by targeting affluent young consumers in the peak summer season.
BenQ Corp (
A market watcher said that Tatung's branding strategy may not create the effect it expects.
"People's brand loyalty in consumer products is weak. Their choices will change quickly when lower prices are offered and new functions are unveiled," said Helen Chen (
She said the launch of a new product line is merely a marketing strategy and that the effect it is likely to achieve will be smaller than the company hopes, as the market is already inundated with numerous brand names.
Tatung's new product will also hit the shelves in China, the US and Europe early next month but will be marketed under the brand names of their cooperating partners, which Pan said can help the company make inroads into overseas markets.
Tatung plans to roll out 150,000 Photo Jukebox units this year and hopes to sell between 500,000 and 600,000 units next year, according to Pan.
By launching versatile products packaged in fashionable designs, Pan said that Tatung wants to break away from price wars and become a leading manufacturer of portable digital devices.
UNPRECEDENTED PACE: Micron Technology has announced plans to expand manufacturing capabilities with the acquisition of a new chip plant in Miaoli Micron Technology Inc unveiled a newly acquired chip plant in Miaoli County yesterday, as the company expands capacity to meet growing demand for advanced DRAM chips, including high-bandwidth memory chips amid the artificial intelligence boom. The plant in Miaoli County’s Tongluo Township (銅鑼), which Micron acquired from Powerchip Semiconductor Manufacturing Corp (力積電) for US$1.8 billion, is expected to make a sizeable capacity contribution to the company from fiscal 2028, the company said in a statement. It would be an extended production site of Micron’s large-scale manufacturing hub in Taichung, the company said. As the global semiconductor industry is racing to reach US$1 trillion
Singapore-based ride-hailing and delivery giant Grab Holdings Ltd has applied for regulatory approval to acquire the Taiwan operations of Germany-based Delivery Hero SE's Foodpanda in a deal valued at about US$600 million. Grab submitted the filing to the Fair Trade Commission on Friday last week, with the transaction subject to regulatory review and approval, the company said in a statement yesterday. Its independent governance structure would help foster a healthy and competitive market in Taiwan if the deal is approved, Grab said. Grab, which is listed on the NASDAQ, said in the filing that US-based Uber Technologies Inc holds about 13 percent of
ABOVE LEGAL REQUIREMENT: The Ministry of Economic Affairs is prepared if LNG supply is disrupted, with more than the legal requirement of 11 days of inventory Taiwan has largely secured liquefied natural gas (LNG) supplies through May and arranged about half of June’s supply, Minister of Economic Affairs Kung Ming-hsin (龔明鑫) said yesterday. Since the Middle East conflict began on Feb. 28, Taiwan’s LNG inventories have remained more than 12 days, exceeding the legal requirement of 11 days, indicating no major supply concerns for domestic gas and electricity, Kung said at a meeting of the legislature’s Economics Committee in Taipei. The ministry aims to increase the figure to 14 days by the end of next year, he said. While one or two LNG or crude oil shipments for May
Taiwan’s food delivery market could undergo a major shift if Singapore-based Grab Holdings Ltd completes its planned acquisition of Delivery Hero SE’s Foodpanda business in Taiwan, industry experts said. Grab on Monday last week announced it would acquire Foodpanda’s Taiwan operations for US$600 million. The deal is expected to be finalized in the second half of this year, with Grab aiming to complete user migration to its platform by the first half of next year. A duopoly between Uber Eats and Foodpanda dominates Taiwan’s delivery market, a structure that has remained intact since the Fair Trade Commission (FTC) blocked Uber Technologies Inc’s
RSS