Lenovo, the world's leading computer maker, has introduced its lowest-priced consumer tablet costing less than 4,000 baht to Thailand to cash in on the growing market.
Mr Jeerawut and his presenters show the new A3000 model yesterday. The new tablet, with a seveninch display, 1.2-gigahertz quadcore processor and 3G capability, is marked at 6,900 baht. Its S6000, which will be available later this year, has a 10-inch display and is priced at 9,900 baht.
It will use pricing strategies to attract customers amid slow consumer spending, said Jeerawut Wongpimonporn, Lenovo Thailand's manager.
He said Thailand and Indonesia are the first two countries in Southeast Asia chosen by the company to launch the second generation of its consumer tablet, which is already on the Chinese market.
Lenovo offers three models of the Android-based tablet, starting with the A1000 with a seven-inch display at 3,900 baht for students and housewives.
"Apart from a non-brand Chinese tablet, this model is at the lowest price offered by a global brand," Mr Jeerawut said.
Lenovo's A3000, with a seven-inch display, 1.2-gigahertz quad-core processor and 3G capability, is marked at 6,900 baht. Its S6000, which will be available later this year, has a 10-inch display and is priced at 9,900 baht.
"We create new products for a market not dominated by Samsung and Apple by offering affordable items with prices 50% lower than those of rivals for the same specification," Mr Jeerawut said.
"In the 10-inch tablet market, most models are more than 15,000 baht but our product is below 10,000 baht."
Mr Jeerawut cited the forecast of global research firm IDC, which says local tablet shipments are expected to rise by up to 94% this year, reaching nearly 5.3 million units. The volume includes the state-sponsored One Tablet per Child tablets.
Tablets priced below 5,000 baht account for about half of the market. Non-brand Chinese tablets have dominated this segment.
"That is why global computer makers Acer, Asus and Hewlett-Packard have also come to play in this segment," Mr Jeerawut said.
He said the economic slowdown and stiff domestic consumption have affected sales of tablets, but affordable tablets would attract consumers and make Lenovo products more attractive.
The firm plans to increase its sales revenue from smart devices to compensate for the mature computer market.
Smart devices account for at least 3.5 million of the 10 million units of tablets and smartphones in the Thai market.
Lenovo expects sales of tablets and smartphones will be double those of notebooks in Thailand by year's end.
"By the end of the third quarter, our sales of smartphones and tablets will outpace notebooks for the first time," Mr Jeerawut said.