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Lenovo enters Thai smartphone industryMay 29, 2013 (Bangkok Post - McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX) -- Lenovo Group, the world's second-largest personal computer maker, is jumping onto Thailand's booming smartphone bandwagon following the advent of the commercially viable 3G network. The China-based multinational is seeking a new revenue stream to offset the decline in the PC market. Thailand is the second-largest smartphone market in the Asean region behind Indonesia. Jeerawut Wongpimonporn, country general manager at Lenovo Thailand, has confirmed that the group is ready to expand into the smartphone market outside China. He also revealed the company could break even in its home market of China and reach its target of becoming second to leader Samsung in terms of market share. "We will shift a significant amount of our focus towards the smartphone and tablet sectors as we believe this is where growth opportunities lie," Mr Jeerawut said. Lenovo has already targeted the smartphone market in Indonesia. It has introduced four smartphone series with five models to the Thai market, retailing at prices ranging from 2,990 to 16,990 baht. "Lenovo is the only multinational brand to sell fully functioning smartphone devices at prices as low as 2,990 baht," Mr Jeerawut said, adding that its unique selling points are design and battery life of up to two days. The company has appointed Bright Point Inc as its regional distributor for the 10,000 telecom outlets. Lenovo also has a co-promotion with mobile leader Advanced Info Service, which it will use to bundle together its devices and their data packages. IDC Thailand, a subsidiary of global research firm IDC, has forecast that smartphones will comprise 8 million of the 20 million mobile phone units, while tablet devices will account for 4 million. Lenovo this year aims to make smartphones and tablets account for 10% of its local sales revenue. ___ (c)2013 the Bangkok Post (Bangkok, Thailand) Visit the Bangkok Post (Bangkok, Thailand) at www.bangkokpost.com Distributed by MCT Information Services |