Asus to launch tablet below Rs 10,000 this month

Personal computer manufacturer Asus India said the company will launch a new tablet by this month-end priced below Rs 10,000.

This is the first time that the company will enter the sub-Rs 10,000 tablets market currently dominated by Indian brands, including Micromax.

The company said it will launch four tablet PCs in the near future priced ranging from less than Rs 10,000 to Rs 20,000. Tablets above Rs 10,000 will have SIM-card slots that will allow users to make voice calls.

Franchise stores

The Taiwanese company also wants to expand its franchise stores in the county in a bid to double its PC market share to 10 per cent by the end of this calendar year.

“The new product is a 7-inch tablet and will be priced between Rs 6,000 and Rs 10,000. We will expand our franchise stores to more than 200 this year from 70 right now across all major cities in India,” Peter Chang, the newly appointed Country Manager of Asus India told Business Line .

The company that entered the Indian market in 2011 said it has understood the requirements of the consumers here and is now looking to launch products for various consumer segments.

Apart from franchisees, Asus India sells its products through multi-brand retailers. As of now, it has three national distributors including Rashi Peripherals, Compuage Infocom and Global Infonet. The company would partner with more of such large format retailers in all states, Chang said.

Chang, who has been recently appointed as the India chief after serving in European countries till last year, said his focus in India will be going into the untapped markets through these new channel partners to achieve the set target of market share.

“We know we are a new player, so we will go deeper in the markets and build brand image by investing in marketing activities that will continue through this year,” he said.

Hiring more

Without sharing the budget details, he said the company will also add more people to its sales team as and when required. Currently, it employs 250 on the sales team.

Chang said the company would not enter the ultra low-cost (below Rs 5,000) tablet space or bid for any Government led projects, which have been a huge attraction for Indian tablet brands.

“It will depend on projects (Government), but the company’s main focus in 2013 will be delivering consumer products,” he said.

Asus India had earlier entered smartphones market in September but hasn't done enough in the hyper competitive market to gain more share. The premium Android-based smartphone called the PadFone was launched at Rs 65,000. The company will launch more products depending on the responses from customers and their experiences.

ronendrasingh.s@thehindu.co.in

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