Netbook pioneer Asustek Computer Inc (華碩電腦) yesterday announced its first line of high-performance laptops resulting from a cross-industry collaboration with Bang & Olufsen (B&O) — a move that Asustek chairman Jonney Shih (施崇棠) said fits in with the company’s strategy to incorporate the “five senses” in new product designs.
“We were originally a tech-centric company, but now we design products with the ‘five senses’ in mind for better user experience,” Shih said at the product launch.
The five senses — sight, hearing, touch, smell and taste — form the basis of the design of the NX90 — its first notebook project with B&O, a Danish company known for combining technology with emotional appeal.
Commercial sales of the NX90 have been set for the middle of July, with a price tag of NT$84,800 (US$2,700). Rival Acer Inc (宏碁) debuted notebooks touting excellent sound quality with Dolby in 2007.
Asustek yesterday also showcased a series of notebooks ranging from 13 inches to 18 inches, saying they would hit the stores during the second half of the year.
However, analysts warned that the local notebook makers could see slower sales momentum in the second quarter, as the financial crisis in Europe and monetary tightening measures in China affect demand.
“It is unlikely these exporters will achieve their growth targets for the second quarter. The effect of high liquidity has been fading as the European debt crisis surfaces,” TLG Asset Management (台壽保投信) analyst Arch Shih (施博元) said.
“A weakening euro has dragged down demand in the region, which has been one of the most important markets for Taiwanese notebook exporters,” Shih said.
Shih said second-quarter sales for the nation’s notebook sector could fall short of the consensus forecast of sequential growth of about 10 percent, adding that 5 percent growth could be the best-case scenario.
Vincent Chen (陳豊丰), an analyst at Yuanta Securities Investment Consulting (元大投顧), also cut his notebook shipment growth forecast from 8 percent to 4 percent.
“Demand problems not only lie in Europe, but also in China,” Chen said, adding that there was growing consensus that these markets would see a sluggish performance this year.
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