Asus is positioning itself for growth in its southern Africa commercial division following the launch of its ExpertBook Ultra laptop this week, as the company looks to capitalise on a market shift towards AI-enabled devices.
Asus operates two divisions in the region – commercial and consumer – which are split by product but brought to market through the same distribution channels. The company tracks its performance by unit volume rather than revenue, citing fluctuating market conditions.
According to IDC data cited by Asus, the southern Africa laptop market generates approximately 1.9 million units annually. Asus's commercial portfolio now accounts for 55% of its local sales, compared with 45% for consumer devices.
Werner Joubert, commercial business development manager and country head for Asus South Africa and SADC, said the company's overall market share has grown from 3% to 6% year-on-year between 2024 and 2025.
Marce Heath, commercial marketing lead at Asus South Africa, said the newly launched ExpertBook Ultra is targeted at enterprise IT professionals and SMEs with limited IT resources.
The device will be distributed through channel partners including Mustek, Rectron and DCC, with a retail presence aimed at the "prosumer" market.
AI as a growth driver
Nathan Reddy, industry technical specialist at Intel, said commercial clients face mounting challenges, including escalated cyber security risks, complex device management and uncertainty around AI’s impact on device strategy, application compatibility and the impending end of support for Windows 10.
According to Gartner, Reddy noted, 100% of new enterprise PC purchases will be AI PCs by the end of 2026.
Joubert said Asus has deployed 1 000 AI specialists to its 5 000-strong global research and development unit. “Businesses today need devices that can handle AI workloads, advanced productivity tools and demanding applications while remaining lightweight and dependable.”
Asus expects the ExpertBook Ultra to be available in SA in the second quarter of 2026.
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