Notebooks taking over from desktop computers
The market for desktop and notebook computers is in transition, with a very fast take-up of notebook computers and home users switching to Windows Vista, the new operating system from Microsoft. This is also happening in Malta. "We see a total shift,"...
The market for desktop and notebook computers is in transition, with a very fast take-up of notebook computers and home users switching to Windows Vista, the new operating system from Microsoft. This is also happening in Malta. "We see a total shift," according to Franz Scherz, managing director of HP's CDG European Emerging Markets and HP's top executive directly responsible for Malta. "The desktop market is not shrinking but is not growing either. The notebook market on the other hand is growing some 30 to 50 per cent every year, depending on the country. We see a growth in demand for notebooks under Lm343."
Speaking on the side of the regular HP customer and partners new product introduction seminar in Malta, Mr Scherz touched on several issues pertaining to one of the top ICT solutions providers in the world, which is also a strategic ally of the Maltese government.
"We are still executing the strategic alliance with the Maltese government. We are still deploying some training centres and we hope to finish completely this summer," he told i-Tech. Earlier this year he had lamented the pace of implementation had somewhat slowed down.
However Mr Scherz would have liked HP to work closer with the Maltese government on the issue of the tender for the lease of 15,000 computers for the public service and schools, which eventually met strong resistance from small Maltese ICT retailers.
"Some of our Maltese partners were involved in responding to the call for tenders but HP had not been involved earlier in the process when the government was preparing to issue the call. Maybe HP could have shared its ideas and given consultancy as we do with other governments and international companies. We can bring knowledge and capacity but we are not a political organisation. We can only give guidance on technology," the HP's top executive responsible for Malta said.
Asked for his views on the fact that the Maltese government has decided not to adopt the new Windows Vista for the time being, Mr Scherz said he is not surprised as similar policies are being adopted by other countries as large organisations tend to be more careful when adopting new systems as to avoid problems.
"Consumers are the first to want to move to Vista very quickly but we are addressing the full customer range, including users of XP," he added.
The company's presence in Malta is being strengthened with the launch of a dedicated website and the first direct representative office. The website provides a guide to the latest products and services and is accessible at www.hp.com/mt
Speaking on the side of the regular HP customer and partners new product introduction seminar in Malta, Mr Scherz touched on several issues pertaining to one of the top ICT solutions providers in the world, which is also a strategic ally of the Maltese government.
"We are still executing the strategic alliance with the Maltese government. We are still deploying some training centres and we hope to finish completely this summer," he told i-Tech. Earlier this year he had lamented the pace of implementation had somewhat slowed down.
However Mr Scherz would have liked HP to work closer with the Maltese government on the issue of the tender for the lease of 15,000 computers for the public service and schools, which eventually met strong resistance from small Maltese ICT retailers.
"Some of our Maltese partners were involved in responding to the call for tenders but HP had not been involved earlier in the process when the government was preparing to issue the call. Maybe HP could have shared its ideas and given consultancy as we do with other governments and international companies. We can bring knowledge and capacity but we are not a political organisation. We can only give guidance on technology," the HP's top executive responsible for Malta said.
Asked for his views on the fact that the Maltese government has decided not to adopt the new Windows Vista for the time being, Mr Scherz said he is not surprised as similar policies are being adopted by other countries as large organisations tend to be more careful when adopting new systems as to avoid problems.
"Consumers are the first to want to move to Vista very quickly but we are addressing the full customer range, including users of XP," he added.
The company's presence in Malta is being strengthened with the launch of a dedicated website and the first direct representative office. The website provides a guide to the latest products and services and is accessible at www.hp.com/mt