Price is not everything, say executives from IBM's personal computing division.
Vice-president of IBM's personal computing division in Asia-Pacific Ravi Marwaha said the company had a bells-and-whistles approach that set it apart from competitors.
The PC market has evolved into a highly price-sensitive category in recent years as PC boxes from major makers sport similar technologies, with vendors such as Dell often offering boxes at lower prices.
'Wireless communications, security and manageability are the real keys. I think our customers realise that price isn't everything and that quality is worth paying the extra for,' Mr Marwaha said.
According to International Data Corp, IBM held the top market share last year in Hong Kong, ahead of arch rivals Hewlett-Packard, Compaq and Dell. Mr Marwaha said customers in the SAR appreciated that IBM charged more for a better and well-serviced product.
'Yes, our machines cost a little more but you are going to find that we put a lot more thought into designing our products to create the best experience possible,' he said.
Mr Marwaha said IBM put greater emphasis on the total package, with new security and systems management features to help information technology managers rein in the overall cost of managing PCs.