Asustek raises 2015 smartphone target again within single month

Taipei, April 2 (CNA) Taiwan's Asustek Computer Inc. (華碩) has raised its 2015 annual shipment target for smartphones to 30 million units, the second revision within a month, on high expectations for the China market.

Asustek Chairman Jonney Shih (施崇棠) revealed the new target in an interview with Chinese media Sohu.com Inc. published March 31, saying that China is expected to account for one-third of Asustek's overall smartphone shipments this year, or 10 million units.

The revision came less than a month after Shih told Taiwanese media at the ZenFone 2 launch in Taipei March 9 that his company plans to ship 25 million smartphones in 2015, up from its previous target of 17 million units set in February.

After rolling out its new low-cost ZenFone 2 in China March 24, Asustek has high expectations for the world's biggest smartphone market, where 389 million smartphones were shipped in 2014.

Shih said in the Sohu.com report that China is an "indispensable" market in Asustek's attempt to foray into the world's top 10 smartphone brands this year and make the top five in coming years, given that the rise of Chinese Internet service providers will create more business opportunities for smartphone makers.

He also disclosed that Asustek's monthly smartphone shipments have increased from 10,000 units in the first quarter of 2014 to 1.5 million units in the final quarter of last year, with accumulated global shipments already exceeding 10 million units so far.

The ZenFone 2, a successor to the company's successful ZenFone range, was unveiled in January at the annual Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. The 5.5-inch phablet features a 64-bit Intel Atom Z3580 processor, 4GB of RAM, a 13-megapixel rear camera, a 3,000mAh battery and 4G LTE connectivity.

After rolling out the ZenFone 2 to Taiwan, China and France in March, Asustek has planned wider availability starting next month, to include Hong Kong, Russia, Singapore, Japan, Indonesia, India and the United States.

(By Jeffrey Wu)ENDITEM/J