Dell plans to boost its Chinese market presence

Dell Inc, the world's second-largest PC manufacturer, plans to launch new commercial experience centers across China to boost its market presence, the company's China head said Thursday.
The company, largely dependent on phone and web sale orders, is expected to set up more than 1,000 commercial experience
centers this year, showcasing products and applications for both commercial and personal use, Yang Chao, president for the Greater China region at Dell, told reporters in Beijing Thursday.
In addition, another 1,000 after-sale maintenance outlets for fourth- to sixth-tier cities will be established this year, adding to the existing 1,000 outlets built over the past several years, he said.
The company's fourth quarter market share downturn was but a blip, Yang believes, saying that he is confident about Dell's performance in China this year.
Dell's market share in China went down 2.5 points to 7.5 percent in the fourth quarter, and was overtaken for second place by Acer, while Lenovo remained top dog, hitting a new high of 32.2 percent, according to research firm IDC.
On the whole, China's PC market grew by a sluggish 4 percent in the fourth quarter, according to IDC.
Yang showed little concern over the ambitious moves, noting that demand from Chinese consumers, particularly those in smaller cities and rural regions, would remain strong.
The fourth-quarter slow-down was due to a cooling Chinese economy and to the arrival of tablet computers.
But it is not likely to allay the market's long-term outlook, which is estimated to recover strongly in the second half of the year, Antonio Wang, research manager for computing systems research at IDC China, said late last month.
Dell will also roll out its smart devices in China later this year, according to its head of China.
Dell's mobile devices, including tablets and smartphones for China's market, will be showcased at a tech forum in Beijing in April, Yang said at Thursday's press conference, without disclosing exact pricing or shipping dates.