Asustek Plans to Storm U.S. Retail Notebook Market

by Anton Shilov
04/11/2007 | 11:08 PM

After successfully become a well-known notebook brand in Europe, Asustek Computer wants to achieve the same in the U.S. and, according to some media reports, plans to start selling its laptops through Best Buy retail network in the  USA.

Asustek, which is one of the world’s largest producers of mobile computers, reportedly has reached an agreement with Best Buy, one of the largest retail chains in the United States, to sell its own-brand notebooks through its stores. If the report is correct, Asus brand-name will indisputably become much more well known in the country, as far not all consumers acquire computers through online stores or read reviews and may not recognize Asustek.

Given that the world’s largest producer of mainboards has put a lot of efforts into making its laptops more stylish and feature-rich, those computers may attract quite some attention to themselves in stores. However, that may have a negative effect as well, as position of Asus’ own-brand notebooks will get stronger overall worldwide, which is something that its outsourcing customers, such as Apple, Dell, Sony and Toshiba, do not like in general.

The exact lineup of Asus’ mobile computers to be sold in Best Buy stores is unclear. The company generally targets lucrative market of advanced machines, however, may also unveil a family of notebooks for general consumers with budget constraints.

Chinese-language Economic Daily News, according to a news-story by DigiTimes web-site, reported that Asustek’s 2007 revenues may reach about $24.1 billion, while profits may exceed $755 million.