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This tracker has been compiled from external sources and does not necessarily reflect the views of the company. Links provided will take you to the full articles appended at the end of the file.

© 2008 Zenith Optimedia.

 

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Full Articles

 

 

09. New Intex Notebook Models

6 August, 2008

 

In a bid to strengthen its foothold in the notebook market, Intex Technologies (India) on Tuesday announced the launch of nine new models including Lifestyle Book, Gaming Book, Tablet Pad, Business book and Education book. With addition of these models in Intex stable, the company aims to clock a turnover of Rs 200 crore from its PC division in this financial year. Of this, the contribution of notebook sales would be 30 per cent.

 

All the new notebooks are Wi-Fi and Bluetooth enabled and equipped with either Intel’s Celeron chip or high-end processors - Core 2 Duo and Dual Core. Four models are built on Intel Centrino technology platform. The range is targeted at working women, gaming and fashion enthusiasts, professionals and students amongst others.

 

Mr Narendra Bansal, CMD, Intex, said, “With changing consumer preferences, the market for notebooks is witnessing over 100 per cent growth.”  

 

 

 

10. Dell Unveils Vostro Laptops, PCs

27 August, 2008

 

Dell on Wednesday unveiled two new Vostro laptops and two desktops designed specifically to meet the needs of small businesses, Governments and educational institutions operating on limited budgets in the country and the world’s emerging economies. The new Vostro laptops and desktops will be available through authorised channel partners, as well as direct from Dell in India and more than 20 countries in Asia, Africa, Europe and Latin America. The Dell Vostro A840 is a 14.1-inch version of the A860 laptop with anti-glare WXGA widescreen LCD. The Dell Vostro A180 is a practical desktop solution for everyday business computing. The system offers Intel Celeron and Pentium dual core processors.

 

 

 

Dell Launched Its New Business Laptops Series, Latitude And Dell Precision Laptops

15 August, 2008

 

PC major Dell expects its India business to touch a billion dollars next year. Founder, chairman & CEO Michael Dell who was in India to launch a new ultra-portable business laptops series, said he was "tremendously excited about growth in India".

 

Mr Dell on Wednesday launched a new line of Latitude and Dell Precision laptops, including a 12.1-inch, 0.99-kg business laptop, that promises battery life of up to 19 hours and other features targeted at the always-connected business users that Dell calls 'digital nomads'. Highlighting the importance of emerging markets for the world's second-largest PC maker, Mr Dell pointed out that Brazil, Russia, India and China (BRIC) would account for a majority of a billion new laptop users in the next five years.

 

Talking about opportunities in India, he said, "Internet usage has grown 26 per cent in India over the last year. By 2012, India will have the largest WiMAX network in the world." Dell, which not only manufactures and sells hardware in India but also has a service & support arm, saw a volume growth of 99 per cent year-on-year in the first quarter of the year. It had ended the year 2007 with a revenue run rate of $700 million.

 

"We have nearly tripled our business in India from $300 million three years ago to $800 million we expect to do this year. We will be a billion-dollar business next year," said Dell A-PAC's president Paul-Henri Ferrand. Dell, which is a strong player in the large corporates segment, has also made inroads in the government segment. However, it still has catching up to do in the consumer segment, something it hopes would be helped by its presence in retail stores. The company had tied up with electronics retailer Croma earlier to retail its products.

 

India has seen its laptop penetration grow from 5 per cent of total personal computers (PCs) about three years ago to 29 per cent today. PC makers like Dell are counting on desktop users migrating to laptops as well as first-time buyers preferring laptops to drive sales. According to research firm IDC, laptops will overtake desktops globally next year.

 

Mr Dell said the economic slowdown in major markets globally has not impacted PC sales. "In times of slowdown, people look for ways to become more productive. The PC volume growth has been healthy in the last quarter," Mr Dell said.

 

 

 

11. Lenovo Spreads Its Message Of “Heavy On Features And Light On Weight” Through A New TV Commercial For Lenovo Thinkpad X30

27 August, 2008

 

Lenovo, which was one of the partners for the Beijing 2008 Olympics, released a new ad for the Lenovo ThinkPad X300 at the time. The ad was meant to be released in the US for the opening ceremony of the Olympics, but later, it was decided that it would also be released in the Indian market and many other countries, including China, at the same time.

 

The ad was initiated out of the global hub for Lenovo, which was set up last year in Bengaluru. The thought for the ThinkPad X300 is that it's heavy on features and light on weight.

 

The ad starts with three buses full of Sumo wrestlers getting out on a busy street. They begin marching forward and then start running. All the wrestlers are running within the outline of an aeroplane and soon start flying upward. The people on the street are startled to see the heavy men take off so easily.

 

Rahul Agarwal, executive director, global marketing hub and marketing communication, Lenovo, tells afaqs!, "Though the ThinkPad X300 was launched about three months ago, we made this ad now because it takes a while for a product to get momentum and this was a good time."

 

Prateek Srivastava, group president, O&M, South, says, "Sumo wrestlers weren't chosen to reflect the association with the Olympics, but because they are recognised all over the world and would appeal to all audiences."

 

Rod Vallis, creative director, Ogilvy Global Hub, Bengaluru, explains, "The commercial was created in a fantastic manner. The wrestlers actually flying into the air... all of it was filmed in-camera." That is, there were no special effects involved and it was all shot in reality.

 

About 40 Sumo wrestlers were used for the commercial; in the final shots, however, it appears as though about a hundred were present. The flying effect was created by using the aluminium framework of an aeroplane. This framework was attached to a crane. The Sumo wrestlers ran adhering to the shape of the aluminium framework, and finally, when the crane lifted the framework up, it looked like the Sumo wrestlers were flying.

 

Vallis explains how they got the wrestlers’ feet to lift off the ground. “Here, the wrestlers are lying on their back and moving their legs. It was filmed against a blue screen and the camera was finally turned around to get the final effect.”

 

afaqs! spoke to a few creative directors for their opinion on this commercial. Russell Barrett, creative director, Leo Burnett, thinks the ad was really well done and quite “bizarre”. He says, “The size of it is such that there’s no missing it.” All simple ads are good ads, he explains, and this one fits the bill just right.

 

Manish Bhatt, executive creative director and vice-president, Contract, proffers a different point of view: “The execution is good looking, but the idea is simplistic and simplistic is not a nice thing here.” He feels that a bit more story would have added value to the ad.

 

Lenovo refused to divulge any details about the expenditure incurred on the ad.

 

The commercial was shot in Sydney, Australia, in a very busy central business area. The entire area was shut off for a weekend for the shooting. Simon Duggan was the director of photography for the 60 second TVC. The makeup and hair was by Katherine, and the wardrobe by Karen Deperthuis. The production company was Luscious International, with producer Tim Berriman and director Tina Bull.

 

Other media employed apart from the regular marketing machinery includes direct mailers, catalogues and seeding products.

 

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