Ahn Seung-kwon, CEO of LG Electronics Mobile Communications, shows the new “Arena” mobile during a launching event held in a Seoul hotel, Thursday.
/ Courtesy of LG Electronics |
By Kim Yoo-chul
Staff Reporter
LG Electronics said Thursday that it will become the world's No. 2 mobile phone producer by introducing customized and user-interface (UI) focused phones, while confirming it doesn't plan to spend on phones equipped with flat panel AM OLEDs.
"Our global share target is 10 percent for 2009 and we will focus on customized products," Ahn Seung-kwon, president and CEO of Mobile Communications at LG said at a news conference held in the Plaza Hotel, northern Seoul, Thursday.
LG sold 100.7 million handsets in 2008 for a 9 percent share of the global market.
"We don't have a plan to additionally release a phone with an AM OLED panel as such models are too expensive for general consumers to buy," Ahn added.
The remarks came on the sidelines of a debut event of LG's new multimedia phone ― LG KM900, dubbed "Arena."
Featuring a new 3D S-class user interface for enhanced audio and video quality, Arena is the first premium phone in the global market to use Dolby Mobile from Dolby Laboratories to deliver a surround sound experience for video and music content.
With the global mobile phone market forecast to decrease by up to 10 percent this year amid the prolonged downturn, the world's leading phone makers are strengthening their position by focusing on a few growth areas such as smart-phones and emerging markets.
Samsung Electronics has been trying to create a new market for tech-featured phones with AM OLED panels.
"The strategy is truly different between Samsung and LG. What LG wants is to appeal to the minds of real consumers, while Samsung hopes to narrow the gap with Nokia by showing off its cutting-edge technology," an analyst at Prudential Investment.
Ahn denied speculation over its passive stance toward its smart-phone business by saying LG plans to unveil a "Google Phone" within the year.
"The key thing to success for smart-phones depends on content. In line with the perception, LG will open 'LG App Store' in July to share contents for mobile applications," he said.
"The possible launch of Apple's new iPhones is expected to swirl the global smart-phone market. But LG hopes to grow the new and promising segment through fair competition with other makers," according to the top executive.
Companies from components makers to phone service operators are providing virtual download stores, following the success of Apple's App Store.
yckim@koreatimes.co.kr
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