Asus aims for the top in commercial notebooks

Rex Lee, general manager of Asus APAC, said the Expert series will include the Asus ExpertBook and the Asus ExpertPC. The firm expects to release the new product series worldwide in the fourth quarter of this year.
 “The Asus ExpertBook will feature new technologies such as a camera and microphone. It also works well with the situation of users who want to work-in and work-out office,” Lee said. “We will also work with business partners to develop new solutions to support the demand of the SMB market. The Expert series focuses on new generation, small and medium-sized businesses (SMB), education, and startups.”
He said that the firm would increase the number of business partners to develop solutions to support the market and aid the development of a strong product line. It will also hire experienced commercial sales staff to promote the band.
Alvin Chen, country manager of Asus (Thailand), said that Asus distributes its laptops to the consumer and commercial markets. The firm has a market share of around 2 per cent for the commercial market in Thailand. It expects that by the end of next year, it expects to reach a market share of around 10 per cent and aims to increase this to 25 per cent. That would put it in range to become the No.1 vendor for commercial laptops in Thailand within three years. 
The firm this year will spend budget more than Bt120 million on marketing. It will set up 100 Asus corners at dealer shops, along with more than 1,000 kiosks nationwide and two Asus concept stores this year. The firm will open the first Asus concept store at Central World next month, with the second to come before the end of the year. It also provides on-site services for laptops.
GFK reported that Asus last year gained the No.1 spot for consumer notebooks in Southeast Asia with a market share of 31 per cent, followed by Acer with 20 per cent and Lenovo 18 per cent.
Lee added that the firm expects that by the end of this year it will also gain the top position in Southeast Asia for consumer laptops, with a market share of 35-40 per cent.
Chen said that for consumer laptops in Thailand, the firm in April this year had a market share of around 27 per cent. So far this year in Thailand around 1.1 million laptops have been sold, of which 950,000 - or 90 per cent - are consumer models.
Thailand is an emerging IT market and has high potential for growth. The firm will continue to release products in Thailand, including the Asus ZenBook Pro Duo, a duo display screen laptop, in the third quarter of this year.
“We want to make the right things for Thai customers, such as gaming laptops designed for games lovers,” said Chen.
With gaming laptops, the firm last year had a market share more than 30 per cent for the Asia Pacific region and expects to achieve over 40 per cent coverage in the region by the end of this year. 
This year Asus is celebrating its 30th anniversary, and is marking the event with the release of the Asus ZenBook Pro Duo, Asus ZenBook Duo, Asus ZenBook edition 30, and Asus ZenScreen Touch.
The ZenBook Pro Duo (UX581) features Asus ScreenPad Plus, a 14-inch, full-width secondary touchscreen that expands and enhances the interactive capabilities offered by the original Asus ScreenPad.
The ZenBook Duo (UX481) is a 14-inch ultraportable version. It is also available with a 12.6-inch FHD ScreenPad Plus, Intel Core i7 CPU and GeForce MX250 GPU. The ZenBook Pro Duo and ZenBook Duo will be available in the third quarter of this year.
The ZenBook Edition 30 is to be marketed as a premium ultracompact Windows 10 laptops with Asus ScreenPad 2.0, including a limited-edition 30th anniversary model with a leather lid cover. The laptop is available in other international markets, but not yet in Thailand.