23 May 2008

Laser Printers Set For No 1 In China’s Peripheral Market

Laser printers will replace inkjet printers as the key product in China’s peripheral market this year, according to a report.

“Laser printers outsold inkjet printers for the first time in fourth quarter 2007 and will replace inkjet printers to become the mainstream product in China’s peripheral market. In response, inkjet printer vendors are developing new products aimed at the enterprise market, which will become the next battlefield for further competition,” explained Carolyn Chen, Senior Analyst for IDC's China Computing Systems Research.

According to market research company IDC’s report the market share for inkjet printers has fallen drastically in China from 31% in third quarter 2007 to 23% in fourth quarter 2007.This was largely driven by the migration of inkjet printers to inkjet MFPs (multifunction peripherals) in the consumer space, the lack of a bundle promotion in the fourth quarter, and the strong demand for laser printers from the enterprise space at the end of 2007, IDC said.