ECS To Remain in Motherboard Market: Dispels Rumor
by Ian Cutress on June 25, 2015 1:39 AM EST- Posted in
- Motherboards
- ECS
As active members of the PC components industry, we tend to try to keep our ear to the ground relating to how the different companies are approaching their product lines especially in terms of acquisitions, applications, marketing and projections. Most of what we hear is either not news or not entirely relevant for publication but helps us attempt to form a more complete picture when we do publish. One of the reasons we do this is to do with confirming sources, and making sure we publish as accurately as possible. So when a rumor started in the sphere regarding ECS’ motherboard business being moved away from the commercial side of the equation (from Digitimes and others), remaining in only OEM/ODM applications, I naturally went straight to the heart of the matter and contacted ECS for clarification. The following is a letter from Sunny Yang, ECS’ President.
Dear Our Distinguished Customers,
We feel regret to learn the untrue report from DIGITIMES pertaining to “ECS to quit own-brand DIY motherboard business, say Taiwan makers” on Jun. 24, 2015. We like to formally clarify that ECS would never give up any opportunity to work on own-brand DIY motherboard as what we always commit to our valuable customers.
We all learn the knee competition in motherboard industry. To receive the challenge, ECS has made all the efforts to manage our own brand motherboard and create more service and value to our channel customers for years. We would continue to put more resources to provide cutting edge products and marketing events as what we just announced at Taipei Computex in early June and, therefore, enhance our brand value and your confidence level.
ECS has been cooperating with you for many years, we treasure this relationship. We will also do our best to serve your needs through our global structures. We believe, through our close cooperation, a mutually beneficial result can be achieved in a long-term relationship.
Sincerely Yours.
Sunny Yang
President, Elitegroup Computer Systems Co., Ltd.
That essentially confirms that ECS will be staying in the consumer motherboard business. Personally I felt the news was a little off to begin with – at Computex ECS were showing their own brand 100-series motherboards, and even developing them with Realtek’s new Dragon network chip which is designed to go in direct competition with Killer. While it's not unheard of for big companies to pull product lines at the last second, we meet with ECS every year and the ECS Computex booth is naturally very large and they often put on a large show for it. It's important to consider how much money and marketing has been pumped into ECS’ L33T gaming brand in recent years along with their eSports sponsorship.
ECS as a brand does have a presence in the United States, and we’ve reviewed some interesting samples such as the Lucid Hydra equipped P67H2-A back in 2011 and the only overclockable AMD E350 mini-ITX board on the market, the ECS HDC-I. To this end, the latest figures we have estimated for ECS own-brand motherboard sales are around 3-4 million, which accounts for around 5% of the ~78 million motherboards a year market, but in 2009 reports have suggested they sold 17 million both as a brand and as an OEM/ODM which gives you a sense of scale as to how big ECS actually is. ECS’ main revenue generator is the OEM/ODM side, particularly in manufacturing many mini-PCs for other well-known brands, but their own brand still has value particularly in Asian regions and as the letter above shows, they are still keen on putting it into action.
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Oxford Guy - Thursday, June 25, 2015 - link
Let's see the quality of your Mandarin, bud. Also, let's see your resume that is strong enough to become ECS' CEO. Until then, ring off.Impulses - Thursday, June 25, 2015 - link
I wouldn't hold a poorly translated/written CEO letter against ECS, I don't even think it reflects that badly on the suit writing it, but I do think webdoctors has a point... The guy could/should just get someone to proof or translate for him, it's not that hard but it can have a big impact.That being said, this release might've been rushed in light of the rumors or whatever, not an excuse but still... English isn't my first language either btw.
royalcrown - Friday, June 26, 2015 - link
Hey, at least he wrote it himself, that's something a lot of suits wouldn't bother with.chrnochime - Wednesday, July 1, 2015 - link
Nice going with that run-on sentence in your second sentence bud. Come back and diss him when you can write something that doesn't contain blatantly obvious grammar mistake AND speak/write perfect Mandarin okay? LOLNandie - Thursday, June 25, 2015 - link
Poorly written press release does not inspire confidence in your products which have never been highly regarded in the first place. There are situations where English mistakes(like forums) are forgivable and can be overlook but not in press releases. It is embarrassing and laughable.fluxtatic - Friday, June 26, 2015 - link
Please. You should see the half-coherent drivel I deal with from people higher up in the company I work for, and none of them speak/write anything but English.chrnochime - Wednesday, July 1, 2015 - link
Right, and I have lower confidence in MB products because their head honcho isn't a native English speaker and their PR team somehow let those grammar errors slip through. Oh the humanity!!royalcrown - Friday, June 26, 2015 - link
Well, don't give him too hard a time unless your chinese is as good as his.Achaios - Friday, June 26, 2015 - link
This affair with Yang's poor English strongly reminds me of my trips to the fleshpots of China, SE Asia and the Philipines and my interactions with the girls thereof in "Pidgin English": "ME LOVE YOU LONG TIME", "ME WANT YOU", "YOU SPIK GUD ENGLAND" and the like.The people who comment in this website are not just riff-raff you know. Many of us have had long careers in diverse industries and have occupied senior positions in different companies. As it has already been pointed out, writing a communiqué in pidgin English to address an English-speaking audience is a bad business choice. It makes you look bad, it makes you look cheap, it makes you look like a dilettante.
For those guys who still didn't get it, English is not my native tongue either. I speak four other languages besides my mother tongue, almost as good as I speak English.
bji - Monday, June 29, 2015 - link
Your point is fine but I don't think it's necessary to bring in the comparison to your experiences during your "trips to the fleshpots of China" (whatever those are, I assume some sort of prostitution thing). That seems kind of like a cheap shot to me.I actually agree in spirit with your comment though. If you're going to write a press release in English, using bad English is unprofessional. Either don't write it in English, or get a good proofreader to correct it for you. That's what I'd do if I had to write a press release in a foreign tongue, and it only makes common sense. And not doing so *does* reflect poorly on the professionalism of your organization.