Viewsonic to expand NZ product portfolio

All in one PC expected soon after release across the Tasman

By Amanda Sachtleben, Auckland | Monday, 13 July 2009
Display maker Viewsonic says its PC line will begin filtering down to New Zealand in the next few months.The ViePC range and VieBook netbook were announced overseas in January.

The 19-inch, VPC100 All-in-One PC was launched in Australia last month and ANZ country manager William Tse says it is expected to arrive here in the next month or two.

Dove Electronics, one of the two local distributors, has been given VPC100 product samples, with Tse saying feedback given to Dove supports the vendor’s view that the corporate and government sectors will be key potential markets.

Tse says the regional release of Viewsonic’s netbook might happen in two to three months, but official timing hasn’t been decided.

In May Viewsonic revealed that it would launch products for the 3G smartphone market. However, Tse says it won’t release these devices in Australia and New Zealand at this stage, saying market size and the stronghold achieved by other smartphone makers are deciding factors.

“I think the telecommunications market is quite competitive worldwide and we’re very selective about which markets we launch these [smartphones] in. For ANZ we’re probably not quite geared for that business at this time.”

Viewsonic will also be adding “a whole new portfolio” of display-related products after the PC and smartphone line, says Tse.

In November 2006, Viewsonic told Reseller News the company hoped to build on its local market share of about 15 percent.