Asustek Computer Inc (華碩) has announced a new range of commercial tablets, the ZenPad M series that features its own device-management software in a bid to expand its share in the market.
There are two models in the ZenPad M series, with 7-inch and 10-inch displays, and they have Wi-Fi and LTD support with the company’s preloaded Asus Device Admin for Mobile (ADAM) system, the company said in a video published on Tuesday last week on its official YouTube account.
The ADAM system for commercial purpose allows users to control the tablets by preventing unwanted actions and to deploy the devices in kiosk mode, which locks the tablet to a specific app, preventing anyone from using other apps on the device, the company said.
Asustek has not set a launch date or prices for the tablets.
Chief executive officer Jerry Shen (沈振來) told reporters on Wednesday last week that the company plans to introduce new “surface-like” detachable tablet devices in June.
Asustek yesterday declined to confirm if the ZenPad M series were what Shen was talking about, saying that it would disclose more details about the ZenPad M series soon.
Shen said the company is in the process of developing a “surface-like” tablet that could challenge Microsoft Corp’s tablets.
Asustek had planned to introduce the tablets next month or April, but decided to postpone the launch to June so its research and development team could have more time to improve the items, he said.
He also said Asustek foresees a challenging year for the tablet industry and so it is taking a rather conservative view, predicting that its shipments would be flattish this year at 5.9 million units, the same number it shipped last year.
The company had set a target of 7 million units last year, but demand worldwide was sluggish, hurting sales.
Last year’s 7 million units was a drop of 37.23 percent from 2014’s sales record of 9.4 million tablets, the company said.
The company is weighing the possibility of suspending the sales of tablets with 7-inch or smaller screens in markets where the tablets cost less than US$100 each, because of the margin pressure that price point puts on the company, Shen said.
Asustek’s strategy is to launch a select number of tablet products in specific countries to boost cost efficiency this year, he said.
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