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The age of multi-function devices

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CIOL Bureau
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Do you think the devices that promise printing, scanning, copying and faxing

and come in the price range of Rs 18,000 to Rs 65,000 will attract customers? If

yes, then multi-function devices, as these are called, may be the products you

should watch out for.






The age of convergence for products is upon us. More and more devices that are
hitting your store shelves have a capability to perform more than just one

function. While your telephone doubles as an answering machine, your television

comes with a VCD player. Can IT products be left far behind?






The latest to jump on this bandwagon are printing devices with scanning, copying
and faxing capabilities. Both vendors and channel partners are gung-ho about the

future of these products.



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While no third party data about the movement and volumes of these devices are

available, guesstimates put the growth rate in the 40 per cent bracket. Agrees S

Magesh, Marketing Manager, Volume Products-OIP, "We are looking at a 40 to

50 per cent growth rate for the next two years on a very small installed

base."






Is it the next big thing?



Canon clocked close to 200 units of printing devices with multiple

functions, a month last year. Today it is looking at a substantial jump to 1000

units a month by the end of next year. HP on the other hand is looking at

growing its market from the present 110 units a month to about 175 units a month

in the same time frame.

Sharp, another player in the segment, is selling 100 units a month and looks

at doubling this number soon. Samsung claims to sell 75 units monthly.

All these numbers highlight only one thing — this is a segment that is

growing and has immense potential for further growth. Says Pankaj Sharma, Head,

IT Sales, Sharp Business Systems, "We are growing at nearly 100 per

cent."

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Cost and space benefits



A multitude of factors seem to be fueling growth in the segment. The first
being space saving, which is a boon for the SOHO, a segment where the product

has seen most growth. And the second is cost-saving that comes with the purchase

of one product which has functions of various devices.

Says Sanjay Varmani of Groovy Computers, "While space saving is a

definite pull that the device offers, it also comes with a distinct cost

advantage." Agrees Magesh, "It brings about the comfort of having a

single peripheral with your PC."

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Charu Jain of SMC International points out another plus of buying such a

product. Says she, "It also saves on the number of ports used and decreases

the wiring confusion behind the PCs."

The reasons notwithstanding, there are certain sections of the market which

has found use for these products. "The device holds a lot of utility in

verticals industry segments like export and jewelry business, where a great deal

of color copying is required", says Pankaj of Sharp.





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