According to AMI Analysts, the Console is Heralded as Having ‘All in One’ Functionality
NEW YORK — (BUSINESS WIRE) — February 16, 2011 — HP announced the release of its TouchSmart Elite 9300 Business Desktop PC last week. Expected to be made available in the U.S. in May, the 23-inch touch-screen display is the latest offering from HP’s TouchSmart series. The all-in-one desktop features HP’s patented “touch” technology, second-generation Intel core processors, a 2 megapixel webcam with facial recognition, and Microsoft Windows 7 Professional operating system.
The display’s ability to recline in several angles makes the PC ergonomically-friendly. HP expects the TouchSmart Elite 9300 to become very popular in industries such as hospitality, particularly in hotels, and in retail environments. The adjustable display reduces the barrier between concierges and customers, and offers flexibility in a variety of workplace settings including desk, counter, wall-mounted, and kiosk placement.
Most apparent, retailers can use the display in showrooms to allow customers to interact with products, either online or through custom software from a single point. The compatibility features in the device allow channel partners (i.e., ISVs) and other developers to build customized software applications that meet the needs of each individual client. This would ultimately lead to streamlining of processes and overall cost savings for the client, through reduction of sales staff, as customers could potentially process sales transactions on their own. At the back end, the display can be used for inventory tracking.
The healthcare and education verticals are also strong matches for the TouchSmart Elite 9300. The aforementioned facial recognition software combined with custom built software can be used for security purposes, allowing medical records to be stored safely and accessed only by authorized individuals. On the education side, the hands-on nature of the device is suitable for interactive lessons. Through a partnership with Barnes & Noble, HP created applications that allow children to write and illustrate their own books. ISVs and application developers would also be able to customize software dependent on the needs of particular schools.
From a small and medium business (SMB) perspective, HP offers a special bundling package including HP’s Virtual Rooms software. Virtual Rooms meets SMBs’ needs for collaboration with live, face to face meeting capabilities. “HP stands to benefit since SMBs generally prefer buying all solutions from a single channel or vendor,” says Rohan Bose, Associate at AMI. “Additionally, the price of the desktop is expected to be very affordable, making it even more attractive to SMBs.”
A formal price will be announced closer to release, however the consumer version, the TouchSmart 610, is expected to retail at $900.
“HP would be wise to market the TouchSmart Elite 9300 to the SMB business decision-maker (BDM),” says Bose. “HP may have some work to do to convince skeptical BDMs that this device will be a worthy investment. Nonetheless, to reach this target buyer, HP should ramp up advertising on search engines and on the HP web site, as these business-focused individuals typically become aware of tech products through these outlets.”
About Access Markets International (AMI) Partners, Inc.
AMI-Partners specializes in IT, Internet, telecommunications and business services strategy, venture capital, and actionable market intelligence — focusing on global small and medium business (SMB) enterprises. The AMI-Partners mission is to empower clients for success with the highest-quality data, business planning and go-to-market solutions. AMI was founded in 1996. Since its inception, the firm has built a world-class management team, each with ten to fifteen years’ experience in IT, telecom, online communications or multimedia.
AMI-Partners has helped shape the go-to-market SMB strategies of more than 150 leading IT, Internet, telecommunications and business services companies. The firm is well known for its IT and Internet adoption-based segmentation of the SMB markets; its annual retainership services based on global SMB tracking surveys in more than 30 countries; and its proprietary database of SMBs and SMB channel partners in the Americas, Europe and Asia-Pacific. The firm invests significantly in collecting survey-based information from several thousand SMBs annually, and is considered the premier source for global SMB trends and analysis.
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