Samsung will no longer supply notebooks to the South African region, it says.
In a statement, it says the move, effective from last month, was driven by its shift in focus towards "solutions that are aligned with the evolution of the technology market and the changing end-user demands".
Samsung cites the IDC's latest research showing the PC market in SA declined by 18.8% in the final quarter of 2013, while shipments of tablets increased 107.1% year-on-year during the same period.
"Changes in the mobile market offer us the opportunity to refine our product offering," says Craige Fleischer, director of mobile communications at Samsung Electronics SA. He adds the group is positioned to deliver "innovative solutions that meet the needs of South Africans".
Samsung's shift is being led by the way consumers interact with their devices and the functionality that the increasingly sophisticated consumer requires, it says.
The professional consumer, or "prosumer", now expects flexibility, mobility, power and the ability to switch between work and play environments with great ease, Samsung adds.
Consumers are increasingly using their devices for business and pleasure, and as a result, they require technology that enables them to access both worlds seamlessly. "Tablets are increasingly being favoured locally, therefore Samsung is taking a targeted approach to offer feature-rich technology ecosystems to meet consumer needs," adds Fleischer.
Owners and users of Samsung Notebooks will still enjoy the value-added benefits Samsung offers. Product warranties and service support will remain available throughout Samsung Smart Care Centres, nationwide, it says.
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