Printer Push

Suddenly the printer market is seeing a lot of action,
which is coming from the three major vendors--HP, Epson and Canon. All the three
vendors have signaled their intentions for a hot summer ahead with a whole lot
of new announcements.

First of the blocks was HP, the undisputed market leader
in printers. It completely rolled over its laser printer line with the
introduction of five new intelligent printers which help customers leverage
Internet to access, manage and print information. Significantly, the last such
roll over was effected by HP way back in the November of 1998.

The explosion of Internet connectivity within
organizations and the proliferation of wireless devices have created a
tremendous need for users to better access and share information and images
anytime, anywhere and in any format. What HP is trying to do is to transform
printers from peripheral devices into intelligent information appliances that
can both deliver and access a variety of e-services, information and solutions
via the Internet.

Within days of HP's announcement, Canon dropped a
bombshell when it announced that it would be introducing laser printers in India
by June. And to start with, the company would address only the low-end segment
with two to three models. A little earlier than this announcement, it had
signaled its intention to grab a 20 percent share of the inkjet market within
this year. Now, that would be a big jump as currently it commands only eight-
percent share as compared to Epson at 18 percent and HP at 64 percent.

In addition, Canon is also aiming to grow its channel
network ten-fold, which would further raise the stakes in the printer game.
Side-by-side, the company is planning a whole lot of activities aimed at the
channels to give a further impetus to its business.

Lastly, Epson which has been trying very hard to
dislodge HP from its perch, has said that it wants to double its share of the
inkjet market to 35 percent within the next two years. And simultaneously, it
expects HP's share to almost halve to 35 percent. Now, that no doubt is a tall
order as despite giving its best shot, Epson has not been able to touch even the
20 percent mark.

In all this action Samsung, which has a small presence
in lasers, has remained silent. And knowing the way the company works, sooner
than later, it is also certain to make a big announcement. Whatever be the
outcome of this battle, the fact of the matter is that this summer the printer
market will generate more heat than the sun itself.