Toshiba to expand market via education
The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
In a bid to boost sales, Japanese electronics maker Toshiba will attempt to expand its market by entering the education sector. The company will donate 3,000 units of its newest 14-inch-wide tablet PC, called the Satellite R10, to Pelita Harapan University in Tangerang.
"This is the first program to be held in Indonesia where each university student will receive a notebook in the next academic year (2005/2006) and use it to support their education," Lim Kim Meng, the manager of Toshiba Singapore's distributor business, told a press conference on Thursday.
"In the future, we also plan to expand the program to the high school level," he said, adding that the notebooks would be handed over in June.
Gunawan Nugroho, chief representative of Dejian Distribution Limited, Toshiba's distributor in Indonesia, said the program was aimed at achieving Toshiba's target of a 35 percent increase in sales.
"We expect notebook sales to reach about 30,000 units this year. A recent survey by market analyst IDC Indonesia showed that we sold 21,000 notebooks last year, which was a 28.7 percent increase over the previous year," he said.
Besides Pelita Harapan University, Toshiba is in the process of negotiating with five other private universities in Indonesia.
During the event, Toshiba also launched seven notebook models, with five of them -- the Portege M300, Portege S100, TECRA M3, Tecra S2 and Satellite R10 -- equipped with the Easy Guard system.
The system provides users with enhanced data security, advanced system protection, easy connectivity and flexible expandability to meet the needs and requirements of business. The prices of the notebooks range from US$2,000 to $2,500.
Lim explained that the notebooks were also equipped with the advanced protection system -- suitable for careless users, including students, who might drop their notebooks or spill drinks on the keyboard. The system also protects the hard disk, screen and motherboard from accidental shocks, vibrations or falls. (001)