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Vizio set to take the PC business by storm

By | January 15, 2012, 9:37am PST

Summary: The biggest surprise at the CES last week was the entry into the PC business by budget TV-maker Vizio.

There weren’t a lot of surprises coming out of the CES in Vegas last week, but easily the biggest was budget TV-maker Vizio’s entry into the PC fray. While existing companies had their Ultrabooks lined up to catch attendees’ eyes, Vizio launched its first laptops into the market, and they look pretty darn good.

It’s great to see a new company enter this space that has been dominated so long by familiar brands. Competition is a great thing, and Vizio is just the company to challenge the big boys in the laptop world. The company brings something rare for a new entrant into the competitive laptop segment — brand recognition.

Anyone who’s been in a Walmart has seen Vizio TVs in numbers, and many folks own one. I don’t have a Vizio TV but odds are when I visit friends I find one in the media room. When I ask the owners what they think of the TV they seem to be quite happy with the purchase, claiming that the TV is quite good for how economical it was to buy.

That’s a great place for a company to be when entering a competitive market, so Vizio will be able to capitalize on that brand recognition. It can’t hurt to be known for quality products at highly competitive pricing, and that will carry well into the laptop sector.

It’s not just laptops that Vizio are bringing to market, it’s desktop PCs and tablets, too. The company is jumping in with both feet, and looking to become a household name in the PC business. Vizio is in a unique position to do so, and will be a company to watch. It’s delightful to have a new name to keep an eye on.

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James Kendrick has been using mobile devices since they weighed 30 pounds, and has been sharing his insights on mobile technology for almost that long.

Disclosure

James Kendrick

James Kendrick has no affiliations or relationships that need to be disclosed.

Biography

James Kendrick

James Kendrick has been using mobile devices since they weighed 30 pounds, and has been sharing his insights on mobile technology for almost that long. Prior to joining ZDNet, James was the Founding Editor of jkOnTheRun, a CNET Top 100 Tech Blog that was acquired by GigaOM in 2008 and is now part of that prestigious tech network. James' writing has appeared in many print publications: Smartphone and Pocket PC Magazine, Information Week and Laptop Magazine to name a few. James' coverage of the mobile technology sector has regularly appeared in the New York Times, Salon.com and CNN/ Fortune online. Not just a writer, James has filmed numerous video reviews and how-tos that have garnered well over a million viewers. He has appeared on local news segments and been interviewed by the Associated Press on mobile technology topics. Additionally, James has been podcasting about mobile technology for years.

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If they come out with a nice ultrabook or maybe even an ultrabook/tablet
Johnny Vegas 16th Jan
convertible and they bring theyre pricing to the game then I'd be interested. Not really interested in a non ultrabook laptop at this point.
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Does anyone know if Vizio is a subsidiary of Sony Corporation? I tend to recall reading something along those lines.
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... on the PC block.
I have two Vizio TV's. One is older and has some problems, partially due to difficult use, partially due to ... I don't know what. The other is a great TV that gives me no day-to-day issues. Yes, they lack some features others come with, but for the price they are outstanding.

I am going to have to get a new computer soon. My current laptop is underpowered (to the point that it has problems playing 720p video, and don't even try 1080p). I am willing to wait a little while to check out the Vizio brand if it makes it on the market in Q1 or Q2 as indicated in the reports I saw from CES.
convertible and they bring theyre pricing to the game then I'd be interested. Not really interested in a non ultrabook laptop at this point.

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