Johannesburg, 23 Sep 2010
Industry analyst body IDC has given Xerox's ColorQube series an unequivocal thumbs up a year after the release of the range of multifunction printers.
In its Insight report, 'Xerox ColorQube turns one - what's been the impact?', IDC notes that “colour cost savings and sustainability messaging has appeal”, and “ColorQube is driving new business potential for Xerox”.
“The ColorQube 9200's three-tier colour cost model allows users an avenue to use colour at costs substantially lower than those of many competitor products,” says IDC.
It also offers various environmental and ease-of-use benefits. “The uniqueness of the ColorQube's solid ink technology offers several environmental advantages versus colour laser-based solutions,” IDC reports:
* There is no cartridge to dispose of or to recycle when the ink runs out.
* As a result of 'cartridge-less' ink, the waste for consumables and packaging is significantly less than for laser-based products.
* There is only one customer replaceable unit (a 200 000-page cleaning unit) versus cartridges, drums, fusers, and other imaging units that need to be replaced on competitive products.
* Solid ink is nontoxic.
“Xerox has been especially pleased with its ability reach new customers via the ColorQube 9200 series,” notes IDC, citing customer wins across several countries.
One of the most pleasing aspects of the ColorQube is its reliability, IDC says. “The machine's reliability has performed at a higher level than expected based on anticipated break/fix metrics and general service factors.
“Our expectation is that Xerox will continue to push solid ink aggressively in this high-end office colour market segment, with particular focus on low colour costs and sustainability messaging. ColorQube may not reach the numbers that we see for colour laser products, but it does serve as an alternative for customers that want the specific advantages provided by its unique imaging technology.
“IDC believes it would be wise not to sell ColorQube short. The series has gained momentum and is finding market opportunities where its advantages can be leveraged.”
Xerox introduced the ColorQube 9200 in May last year, taking it to 27 African countries through local distributor Bytes Document Solutions in 2010.
“We have viewed the ColorQube as a game breaker from day one,” says Erica Marks, product manager in the Xerox division of Bytes Document Solutions.
“IDC's Insight report thoroughly vindicates our and Xerox's view. We have enjoyed significant success with the ColorQube in southern Africa, and we fully expect for this ground-breaking machine to become a market leader.”
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