HP confident of top spot in inkjet printer market

By MICHAEL FOREMAN

Hewlett Packard is confident that figures due out this month will show it retains overall market leadership of the inkjet printer market in New Zealand.

The second-quarter figures will be released by research firm International Data Corporation.

Consumer peripherals marketing manager Richard Moss said HP had about 50 per cent of the inkjet market, roughly 20 per cent ahead of closest rival Epson.

He attributed Hewlett Packard's success to "great word of mouth" and public perception of the brand, as well as its wide variety of products, which ranged from entry-level to corporate models.

Hewlett Packard markets 14 inkjet printers in New Zealand, excluding multi-purpose OfficeJet products, compared with Epson's range of 10.

The two companies are well-known in the industry for their rivalry in the inkjet printer field. Together they account for between 80 to 85 per cent of the market, followed by Canon and Lexmark.

In the first quarter of last year, Epson briefly overtook Hewlett Packard by capturing a 41 per cent market share compared with HP's 36 per cent.

Hewlett Packard reclaimed the top spot the following quarter, a position it has since maintained.

Epson general manager Greg Skinner said his claim reported in the Business Herald last week that Epson had the "largest range of inkjet printers and the largest share of the market" referred to photo inkjet printers only.

He said International Data Corporation figures did not measure the inkjet market by categories but Epson was clearly the leader of the photo inkjet segment.

"I don't think HP would dispute that."