Fujitsu Siemens Computers targets SME and Education users with new entry-level notebook PC priced from under £649 excluding VAT

- New volume market C-Series LIFEBOOK C1020S creates particularly strong offer for BeCTA's Laptops for Teachers initiative

- Targeting sales in UK's key SME & Education sectors, estimated to account for over 95 per cent of UK notebook PC sales

Fujitsu Siemens Computers has extended its award-winning LIFEBOOK range of notebook PCs with the launch of a new entry-level system priced from under £649 excluding VAT. The new C-Series LIFEBOOK PC will be sold into key sectors, including the UK Education market where it provides a highly competitive offering for BeCTA's Laptops for Teachers initiative, for online e-tailers and high street retailers, and for the UK's resellers with an SME focus. Fujitsu Siemens Computers will back its entry-level notebook PC with an aggressive print, direct mail and radio advertising campaign and a range of reseller promotions.
 
Fujitsu Siemens Computers' new entry-level LIFEBOOK builds on the success of the company's Value4You programme and represents the market's most competitive volume notebook. Three configurations are being offered under BeCTA's Laptops for Teachers initiative, with configurations ranging from Intel Celeron 1.5 MHz processors, 256MB RAM, 20 GB hard drives, integral CD drives and Microsoft Windows XP Professional edition priced at an SRP of £649, to a higher specification £869 model featuring an Intel Pentium 4 1.7 MHz processor, 256MB RAM, 20 GB hard drive, combo media drive and Microsoft Windows XP Professional.
 
"We're convinced that our new entry-level notebook PC will be a major volume product for Fujitsu Siemens Computers during the coming months, and will be a key factor in growing our UK market share," commented Mel Taylor, Marketing Director for Fujitsu Siemens Computers in the UK and Ireland. "We're already finding that while end-users of course still want the best prices, they're also demanding the reliability, quality and the confidence that comes from buying from a major manufacturer. These criteria are as important for the SME market as they are for major corporate users, and thanks to our growing nationwide network of local resellers we're ideally-placed to give SME customers and the Education market the right products at the right price, and completely remove the stress from the PC buying process."
 
Roland Westlake, Managing Director of LiNKS Education - a leading UK reseller targeting the Education sector - welcomes the launch of the new entry-level notebook. "The new C-Series LIFEBOOK is a great offering for the Laptops for Teachers programme as it combines the well-proven technology and reliability of the Fujitsu Siemens Computers LIFEBOOKs we've already supplied with an extremely competitive entry-level price - it'll be great for teachers!"
 
Already this year Fujitsu Siemens Computers has made significant progress towards its goal of achieving a Top Five position in the UK notebook PC market by the end of 2003. According to IDC's recent sales statistics for UK Commercial Mobiles, the company grew its Q2 2002 notebook sales by some 33.1 per cent, growing significantly ahead of the market average for Q2 2002 of 9.8 per cent. By targeting the key sub-50 employee sector (estimated by Microsoft to account for some 1.3 million notebook PC sales each year), Fujitsu Siemens Computers will address the entire notebook PC market from consumer and entry-level models right through to the industry's most powerful Intel-based workstations.
 
About Fujitsu Siemens Computers:
Fujitsu Siemens Computers is the leading European computer company, drawing on the strengths and the innovative power of its parent companies - Fujitsu Limited and Siemens AG. Fujitsu Siemens Computers offers a full range of solutions for enterprise computing, from best-in-class Intel- and Unix-based servers to a comprehensive portfolio of storage systems. The company is also a leading provider of secure mobile computing products, PCs and workstations to business customers, and the number one supplier of computers for home users in Europe.
 
The company's strategic direction is focused on Mobility and Business Critical Computing. With its vision of 'Powering the Information Age', Fujitsu Siemens Computers' world-class computer technology and innovative IT infrastructure solutions help people to freely access information and services anywhere and at any time.

 
For further information, please visit: www.fujitsu-siemens.com.
 
UK PR Contact
Marisa Reynolds
Marketing Communications Manager
Fujitsu Siemens Computers
Tel: 01344 47 5811
E-mail: marisa.reynolds@fujitsu-siemens.com