![\"Mecer](\"http:\/\/mybroadband.co.za\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/12\/Mecer-Ultrabook1.jpg\" "\\"Mecer")
<\/a>Mecer Ultrabook<\/p><\/div>\n
It uses the Mecer brand on all its notebooks but, says Kan, volume is small. So the focus is still on the desktop.<\/p>\n
\u201cI do agree that the desktop market is under pressure, but it has not collapsed, as many people think. Globally, according to IDC forecasts for next year, the total desktops sold will be about 2% down \u2013 which is far from the idea many people have that it will halve. IDC don’t think so, and I don’t think so either.\u201d<\/p>\n
Kan is willing to bet an expensive, high-tech assembly line on this prediction. In the past year, about 130 000 computers have come off the conveyor belt, with desktop machines making up 110 000 to 115 000 of these. Laptops accounted for only 15 000-20 000 machines.<\/p>\n
The relatively new format mandated by Intel, the ultra-slim Ultrabook, made its first appearance under the Mecer name in the past two months. But Mustek is not yet going large on the category, bringing in components for little more than a 1 000 units so far.<\/p>\n
Another growing category, the All-in-One desktop, is similar in size. But, says Kan, that is only the beginning, and penetration of both categories will increase in 2013.<\/p>\n
While the Mustek Ultrabook does not shoot out too many lights in the specs arena, it has one advantage over its sleeker counterparts: the price tag. The entry-level machine with an Intel Core i3 chip retails at R5 999, compared to most international name brand equivalents starting at around R8 000.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe price is cut to the bone,\u201d says Kan.<\/p>\n
While it is shaping up to be the biggest growth category of the holiday season, the effort barely pays off.<\/p>\n
\u201cA normal laptop with an equivalent Core i3 retails at R4 495, so even a cheap Ultrabook still carries a R1 500 price premium.\u201d<\/p>\n
Kan has higher hopes for the All-in-One desktop, particularly as screen sizes become standardised. Right now Mustek is producing the machines with 21.5\u201d screens, and early next year will move into the 19.5\u201d format.<\/p>\n
As closely as Kan watches his own production line, he watches those of the component manufacturers that supply the ingredients of his machines.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn the All-in-One category, we believe 18.5\u201d and 20\u201d will consolidate into 19.5\u201d by the end of the first quarter of 2013, because of the size of glass that the manufacturers can cut cost-effectively. That\u2019s what we\u2019re seeing on production lines now.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe use Intel\u2019s ATX motherboards, straight off the shelf. That is why the desktop PC cost of ownership is low: regardless of the brand, as long as you stick to the ATX form factor, components inside are 100% interchangeable.\u201d<\/p>\n
![\"Mecer](\"http:\/\/mybroadband.co.za\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/12\/Mecer-JW6-Ultrabook.jpg\" "\\"Mecer")
<\/a>Mecer JW6 Ultrabook<\/p><\/div>\n
This simple strategy means low cost of holding spare parts. However, it also means little differentiation.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe will always be a follower,\u201d Kan acknowledges. \u201cWe don’t manufacture, but nor does HP \u2013 we all buy components from similar factories.\u201d<\/p>\n
Kan reveals that Mustek is poised to release an Android tablet range under its own brand, but is not rushing it. Right now it has 20 Android tablets in the lab for testing, and the boss is unimpressed.<\/p>\n
\u201cI have to label each one, because they all look the same,\u201d he quips.<\/p>\n
A Mecer tablet could well be an iceberg that sinks many low-cost tablet importers in South Africa. Mustek\u2019s computers start at R1 500, rising to whatever a customer\u2019s specs demand. A Mecer 7\u201d tablet will start at a similar price.<\/p>\n
It sure won\u2019t be pretty, but then David Kan hasn\u2019t survived the computer business for 25 years by winning beauty contests.<\/p>\n
Source: Moneyweb<\/a><\/p>\n Samsung Series 5 ultra touch now in SA<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n Samsung second-gen Series 9 notebook launches in SA<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n Ultrabook pricing comparison<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n Samsung Galaxy tablet \u201cnot as cool\u201d as iPad, according to judge<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\nRelated articles<\/h3>\n