InterAksyon.com
The online news portal of TV5
MANILA, Philippines — With consumers preferring more portable platforms for their computing needs, flat-panel monitors usually found chained to desktop CPUs have enjoyed little popularity in recent years.
This is the reality that monitor maker AOC has found itself in after experiencing steady growth in the PC segment for the past decade, prompting it to change tack and target niche users to retain profitability.
Ula Ladrillo, senior product manager for AOC at local distributor EA Global, told InterAksyon as much: “Because of the popularity of tablets, there is really a decline [in sales] but there are still growth areas.”
In the latest forecast for PC shipments by research firm IDC, it noted that while portable PCs are slated to grow by 8.1 percent this year, desktop PC shipments would remain stagnant with just 0.5-percent growth.
The transition to a more mobile computing environment is palpable especially in the current flagship products of various PC manufacturers, peppered with models in the ultrabook and netbook segments vying for consumers’ attention.
Ladrillo cited the strategy of other flat-panel monitor providers to shift production to tablet screens, where the demand currently is, but admitted that AOC does not intend to go into that direction soon.
To augment the losses gone to new technologies, AOC is said to be eyeing specific niche markets that remain loyal to the desktop PC form factor, such as schools and business process outsourcing (BPO) firms in the country.
Ladrillo said they are also targeting those who are still stuck using CRT-based monitors, positioning itself as a viable vendor as customers upgrade to LCD or LED monitors.
But for the mainstream consumer market, the EA Global official said the strategy is to differentiate itself more from competitors by offering products with unique features at a very price-competitive standpoint.
This is the reason why AOC recently brought to the Philippines two new flat-panel display models that target the enthusiasts in the consumers, Ladrillo said.
The first is AOC’s initial foray into the 3D segment with the launch of the AOC 57 Series “3D” range of monitors, which enables the conversion of 2D content to 3D content projected through a screen with a wide viewing angle.
The 3D monitors, according to Ladrillo, are being marketed to gamers and movie watchers who would want to have a more immersive experience while playing computer games or watching a movie at home.
The second model is AOC’s new IPS-panel monitor, which features a brushed-metallic surface texture in a slim body that measures only 9.2 millimeters-thin with a contrast ratio as high as 50,000,000:1/
AOC’s 3D monitors will retail locally for P19,000 for the 27-inch 3D monitor and P16,400 for the 23-inch 3D monitor. The IPS display, meanwhile, will be available in stores for only P12,500.
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