LG Electronics today unveiled a raft of ambitious plans for its
mobile business, including a goal of selling 140 million units in
2010.
Plans also include details of a concerted drive into the global
smartphone market in an effort to become one of the top two mobile
device manufacturers in the world by 2012.
LG is aiming to sell a total of 140 million mobile handsets in
2010, a 20 percent increase year-on-year. Although the company is
looking to increase its presence globally this year ? it opened
about 100 mobile retail stores in the developing world in 2009 ?
it plans a particular strong push into the Korean and North
American markets where it wants to be recognized as a provider of
innovative, customized smartphones. By widening its range to
include devices from the inventive and practical to the luxurious
and chic, LG promises to be a vigorous, highly competitive
presence in the mobile world this year.
Preparations for achieving its 2012 goal, which will give LG a
double-digit share in the smartphone marketplace, are already well
underway. Last year LG established a special smartphone business
division and boosted its smartphone R&D workforce by an
unprecedented 30 percent. This year, LG plans to unveil about 20
smartphones based on operating systems including Android, Windows
Mobile and Linux. Hopes are especially high for Android phones,
which, with their user-friendly and open-access OS, are expected
to make up more than half of all LG?s new smartphone releases. In
the first half of 2010, LG will focus on producing easy-to-use
smartphones aimed squarely at first-time owners before moving into
premium handsets with cutting-edge designs later in the year.
Through these efforts the company is confident it can introduce
its first 10-million-unit smartphone sometime this year.
With the 3 Screen Service, set for release this year, users will
be able to view identical content on their handsets, PCs and TVs
without converting to different formats. LG will unveil one of its
innovations in February with the launch of a device supporting
3-Way Sync technology, which will allow seamless viewing of all
mobile, PC and web content over a wireless network. LG is also
hard at work with some of the world?s top content developers to
ensure there is no shortage of fun and practical applications for
its smartphones.
"We are facing another revolutionary change in the mobile industry
thanks to the rapid growth of smartphones and demand for more
content and better services," said Dr. Skott Ahn, President and
CEO of LG Electronics Mobile Communications Company. "We will
continue to make breakthroughs in 2010 as we strive to maintain
our trendsetter status and become one of the global top two by
2012."