LENOVO launched in Cebu yesterday its new line of IdeaPad laptops and an all-in-one desktop, as part of efforts to gain a bigger share of the market beyond Metro Manila.
After only two years in the consumer market, Lenovo “probably has the most number of concept stores” in the Philippines, with six in the capital region and one in Cebu, said Michael Ngan, country manager for consumer business of Lenovo Philippines.
The company has also expanded from only two product lines in late 2006, to over 20 product lines at present, including its smaller, cheaper netbooks.
“We built the market in Manila and it’s now self-sustaining,” Ngan said in a press conference yesterday. “We are now investing in Cebu, because Lenovo is serious about getting into this market.”
Nearly half of the Lenovo Group’s total sales come from China, the company’s interim annual report for 2009 states. But its market share is rising in Southeast Asia, fueled in part by demand from consumers and small business owners in search of ultra-portable, affordable computers.
The IdeaPad S10-3t features a 10.1-inch screen that swivels 180 degrees, transforming the device into a touch tablet that can double as an e-book reader. It retails for P29,900. Also launched yesterday was the IdeaPad Y460, which will be available in the Philippines in April 2010 and will be pitched to tech-savvy users in search of laptops to play games, movies and music on. Its suggested retail price is P54,500. Lenovo’s new IdeaCentre B500 is an all-in-one desktop that is being marketed as “the ultimate PC for serious gamers and multimedia users.” It retails for P65,900.
All new-generation Lenovo PCs, notebooks and netbooks are bundled with DirectShare software, which allows users to synchronize files with other Lenovo devices without requiring an Internet connection, said Susan Tan, product manager of Lenovo’s IDEA Business Unit, Asean.
Despite weak commercial demand during the economic crisis, Lenovo’s dominance in China and its expansion into consumer and emerging markets allowed it to achieve a nine percent year-on-year growth in unit shipments as of September 2009, its interim report for 2009 said.
“Our Idea products are designed with the user experience in mind,” said Ngan. “Every aspect of product design and technology is engineered to improve how consumers seamlessly use these products to enrich our daily lives.”