MSI Official Response about AMD in Pakistan

[SohaibArif]

Hi Abobobilly, first of all, I am the official rep of MSI for the whole Pan India region, which includes PK, NP, LK, BD and IN. I will explain first that MSI is a small player in the IT business, and to survive, the strategy the company focus is just the gaming segment. Our products are limited to this area, even though we have a full range from high-end to low-end gaming laptops.

Limited to this company strategy, as you can see from the BIG market I handle, sadly only NP and LK have some significant market for MSI Gaming, particularly our gaming notebooks. I have been working really hard the past few months to introduce MSI Gaming laptops to PK disty and dealers, tried any possible way to promote, but to no avail until now. We do not want to rely on one channel only, but the bigger problem is, not one of them would like to take the initiative to try. MSI, with its small scale, cannot just open a shop there, it just doesn't make sense if no one even bother to believe in us.

Saying a "major" step to penetrate is so easy, but how do we do it while convincing the company bosses, the distys and dealers that it will work? Profit is one thing, but survival is another. MSI was never in a dominant position because of our size. I will share that in Nepal, we are very happy to cater to about 10 gaming laptops a month as long as we can serve those happy gamers. It's the same with PK, we do not intend to get a big chuck of the market to be profitable, but we also want to serve those who believe in us.

Hope I can shed some light if you were in my shoes.



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One other thing, I have at times wanted to give up in PK already. But still, I have some hope left yet that it will work. Cheers man!

Consoles are cheaper than the gaming laptops you are trying to sell so most gamers here just prefer to buy them instead to spending money on a laptop that they will have to replace in one or two years anyway. Otherwise they target desktop components which is a cheap and upgradeable option.

I hope you guys are making a Steambox. I budget Steambox is probably your best bet in Pakistan because it comes at about the same price as Xbox One or a normal laptop and can be upgraded.
And like StrikerX said, the largest selling laptops here cost $400 - $600. Your gaming ones cost above $1000 and at that price point people prefer to build a desktop with an i7 and GTX 780 instead.

 

[rhyansy]

It's true that gaming laptops cost above $1,000, but remember that gaming laptops are not only used for gaming, but also for productivity to become an effective professional to run applications for engineers, scientists, designers, and architects. These people are on the go also and a PC desktop will not be the most viable option for portability. Lifespan is about 3-4 years, not like those mainstream laptops as you said ate only for 1-2 years. In a long run, a gaming laptop is a better deal.

As for Steambox, it's a very good gaming concept, but as of now, MSI has no announcements yet for this. Hopefully we will.

 

[devnull]

Forget about gaming laptops. It'll never work. Somebody said that $400-600 laptop market was the largest here. By here he meant this forum. Taking Pakistan as a whole into consideration the largest market is used PCs dumped by first world countries. That is $100 or less. Used PCs then used laptops. Most of our computer shops are in the business of selling used stuff. From complete systems right down to peripheral devices like mice and keyboards. Can you imagine any other country where people buy used keyboards? Who knows where those have been!

Hi Abobobilly, first of all, I am the official rep of MSI for the whole Pan India region, which includes PK, NP, LK, BD and IN. I will explain first that MSI is a small player in the IT business, and to survive, the strategy the company focus is just the gaming segment.

Also you must be referring to laptops right? Because MSI is the second largest mobo manufacturer in the world and surely that makes you anything but a small player.

My suggestion is to focus on motherboards. Not gaming mobos, mind you. But stuff that more people can afford say $50 - $120 range. How come gigabyte manages to get such good distribution here but MSI can't? Gigabyte is a newer player locally. Maybe you need to look at changing distributors?

 

[HMS1193]

It's true that gaming laptops cost above $1,000, but remember that gaming laptops are not only used for gaming, but also for productivity to become an effective professional to run applications for engineers, scientists, designers, and architects. These people are on the go also and a PC desktop will not be the most viable option for portability. Lifespan is about 3-4 years, not like those mainstream laptops as you said ate only for 1-2 years. In a long run, a gaming laptop is a better deal.

As for Steambox, it's a very good gaming concept, but as of now, MSI has no announcements yet for this. Hopefully we will.

Gaming notebooks are a niche, you can sell $200-$500 US notebooks here easily but as soon there's a small audience who will be willing to pay more for a gaming branded laptop. The market focus in Pakistan has shifted to mobility devices (Tablets, Smartphones).

To be honest, mainstream laptops/notebooks are a more success in this region as compared to gaming notebooks.

And investing in Steam Machine is pointless when VALVE has allowed DIY's, leave Steam Machines to the major OEM suppliers (they aren't going to work out in Pakistan anyways). How's the DIY market doing for MSI in Pakistan? People here still prefer building their own PCs than going for OEM. You guys must be doing well as far as GPUs and motherboards sales are concerned. But even that's a niche market now considering that mobile has dominated the market.

If you want to get more awareness of your products, then you should try working with the major review sites in this region. I believe India has a good share of tech sites, Pakistan has a few too such as Chiploco and WCCFTech (We have worked with MSI Taiwan in the past and recently reviewed the Z87 MPOWER MAX).