Fujitsu plans to market its "Raku Raku" smartphone aimed at seniors in the United States and Europe in a bid to bolster its exposure and sales outside of the company's native Japan.
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Fujitsu's "Raku Raku" phone |
Fujitsu President Masami Yamamoto said the company will expand the smartphone's distribution in 2013 as part of a wider strategy to break into new markets. "As the Japanese market has already hit a peak, we have to sell devices overseas to increase our sales numbers," he said, according to Japanese publication Asahi Shimbun.
Fujitsu hopes to increase sales from 8 million units in fiscal 2012 to 10 million in 2014, the report noted.
The Raku Raku smartphone, which runs on Google's (NASDAQ:GOOG) Android platform, sports a large, easy-to-read display and loud volume for older users. The phone was released in Japan this summer and Fujitsu expects to make country-specific modifications to the device.
Fujitsu, like other Japanese companies, faces a range of challenges in expanding outside of Japan. Japanese rival Panasonic decided to exit the European market after making a big push there just last year.
In the United States, the market for senior-friendly gadgets is a niche one, but still going strong. In October, GreatCall, the maker of the Jitterbug smartphone line, introduced a touchscreen Android smartphone based on the Kyocera Milano. The device, the Jitterbug Touch, is sold without a contract for $169.
For more:
- see this Asahi Shimbun article
- see this The Verge article
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