As NZ PC Market Cools Competition Is Heating Up: Lenovo To Launch Consumer Range

While the market bucked the global trend last year, posting year-on-year growth of 15.9 per cent, in the first quarter of 2015 it recorded a decline of 14.4 per cent on the 2014 fourth quarter, based on the IDC’s Asia/Pacific Quarterly PC Tracker, with shipments dropping to 186,600 units.

Competition is now set to heat up even further, with Lenovo announcing its intentions to move into the market, taking on the likes of current market leaders HP and Acer.

IDC figures reveal HP was again the New Zealand market leader in the 2015 first quarter, securing 37.2 per cent market share, followed by Acer, which captured 23.9 per cent of the market. Rounding out the top five, Apple secured 15.4 per cent of the market, Toshiba 5.5 per cent and Dell 5.3 per cent.

As it currently stands, the IDC has lowered its growth rates for 2015 in its current forecast, however still expects entry level notebooks and Chromebooks to be the primary market drivers during the year.

A point of interest will be to see how immediate an impact the Lenovo move will have on the New Zealand consumer computer landscape. Lenovo will be bringing significant clout to the local market, with the IDC ranking Lenovo the number one worldwide vendor in terms of shipments in the 2015 first quarter, marginally ahead of HP.

Lenovo has formed partnerships with retailers Harvey Norman, JB Hi-Fi and Noel Leeming as it seeks to establish its presence, with its line-up to be led by its flagship Yoga 2-in-1 convertible PC and tablet range and the newly launched Z-series notebooks.

Lenovo will also launch a range of consumer notebooks, tablets, and all-in-one devices (AIO), including the A-series 27″ AIO.

“We’re delighted to finally have our consumer product range in the New Zealand market, and we are excited to partner with top retailers Noel Leeming, Harvey Norman and JB Hi-Fi to deliver a leading range of consumer devices,” Brendan Lau, consumer director, Lenovo Australia & New Zealand, commented.

“New Zealand is a key growth market for Lenovo. We recognise that there is a local demand for more choice when it comes to consumer technology and we are committed to providing New Zealand consumers with a broad range of quality computing devices.”

Lenovo recently appointed Richard Harri, former Synnex New Zealand country manager, to the position of retail channel manager, leading Lenovo’s New Zealand consumer channel strategy.

“Buyers of personal technology value the interactive experience that comes from walking into a retail store and speaking with sales assistants face-to-face,” Harri stated.