Samsung plans to be challenging aggressively among the leading notebook PC suppliers in Ireland within 12 months, the company has said.
Though a recent entrant into the IT products market, the company plans to use the leverage of a wider advertising and sponsorship spend of more than €2m in Ireland alone.
Samsung claims to be the fastest growing notebook brand in Ireland and the UK. According to Peter McParland, country manager for IT products, it expects to ship around 2,500 units in Ireland for the current quarter, up from “a handful” 12 months ago. “We’ve had a fantastic entry to market. Looking to the Q4 figure I would expect that to be significantly bigger because it’s a key buying time.”
In Ireland, the company has signed deals with key retail partners including Tesco and Harvey Norman. “That’s a new channel that has opened up and they move significant numbers of anything that they decide to sell,” said McParland.
The PC market in Ireland has been dominated traditionally by Dell and HP, followed by a group of other brands including Lenovo, Apple, Toshiba and Acer. “We’re going to go out and chase the one and two spot. Realistically, I’d like to be sitting in the number three slot by this time next year,” McParland told siliconrepublic.com.
Samsung has just launched a range of new notebooks, from entry-level portables to more substantial desktop replacement systems, with retail prices starting from €650. According to Adam Jubb, IT marketing manager, Samsung can compete aggressively on price because it manufactures all of the core components in its products apart from the processor chipset.
Possibly of most interest to buyers is a portable PC, the Q1 Ultra, which has a brand new form factor. The small and lightweight device resembles a Playstation 3 console, with a 7in screen and a split keyboard either side of the display. The Q1 runs full versions of Windows XP or Vista and it comes with wireless connectivity and a range of USB and memory slots. Although it is suitable for PDA-type applications, Jubb said that it’s intended to function as a full computer rather than as a complementary device. The Q1 Ultra is expected to cost €1,200.
By Gordon Smith
