Vaio fans in the UAE rejoice! Vaio Corporation's Japanese laptop is back in the Gulf but without the Sony logo.
Sony sold its PC business to investment company Japan Industrial Partners in February 2014 as part of a restructuring effort targeting smartphones.
Sony still owns 5% of the capital and owns the intellectual property rights to the Vaio brand and logo.
Vaio laptops are currently sold in 22 countries, including the United States, Japan, Brazil, and some countries in Asia and Europe, and the brand is expanding into new markets.
After introducing the laptops in the UAE, Alex Chung, CEO and co-founder of Hong Kong-based tech startup Nexstgo Company Limited, a subsidiary of OEM Alco Holdings, told LaComparacion Middle East that the brand he was in business. discussion with partners in the Middle East for a year to bring laptops to market.
Nexstgo is Vaio's licensing partner in Asia, which also includes the Middle East, and Jumbo Electronics is the distributor for the United Arab Emirates.
"We have selected a strategic country, the United Arab Emirates, to launch high-end products. We wanted to make sure that Vaio always respected the quality and image of the brand. All the high-end products that we launch in the UAE are models in Japan. At the same time, we wanted to bring the latest products to the Middle East, "Chung said.
At first, he said that Vaio would bring high-end products to the region and massive models at a later stage.
Building the brand image
The A12, SX12, SE14 and SX14 models will be available at the end of October in the United Arab Emirates, followed by Saudi Arabia and Bahrain.
When asked how Vaio would compete with other brands when the overall market was unfettered and weak competition, he said that Vaio had many fans around the world and that "I have seen people use the products. Vaio in the United Arab Emirates ".
In Hong Kong and Taiwan, it said Vaio had a double-digit share in the premium segment.
"We intend to introduce the Vaio brand and build it instead of gaining market share after return," he said.
Fouad R. Charakla, head of research at International Data Corporation (IDC), said the full-year PC market in the UAE is expected to decline by 9.3 percent to 1.2 million in 2019 from 1.3 million in 2018 due to low consumer confidence. .
According to research firm Gartner, worldwide PC shipments will drop to 256 million this year, up from 260 million last year. It will be further reduced to 250 million in 2020 and 246 million in 2021.
Since leaving Sony, Kaoru Hayashi, director and head of the PC division of Vaio Corporation, said that Vaio focused on the Japanese domestic market.
"Our overseas IT partners have pulled out of the market. About 70% of our business comes from businesses to businesses and the rest from consumers. Rather than being alone in each market, we have built relationships with local OEMs and partners to promote our brand and our sales. In the United States, Vaio does its own business, "he said.