Creative said that it withdrew from the Taiwan market years ago, because its profits had dwindled due to escalating competition. However, seeing that demand for ATI-based products has gradually grown and there are relatively fewer ATI card makers, it decided to reenter the market with new products.
Though absent from the Taiwan market, Creative has been a long-time graphics card player in Europe and the US, and is also one of the few card manufacturers to have both Nvidia and ATI-based card lines. Currently, Creative mainly promotes Nvidia graphics cards in Europe, aiming at the high-end sector.
The card manufacturer said that it plans to sustain its high-end brand image in the Taiwan market. Consequently, Creative's cards are expected to be priced higher than those of other companies.
According to ATI, the official quote of its Radeon 9000 PRO-supporting cards is US$149. The DirectX 9-enabled Radeon 9700 cards will hit the market later in August with a suggested retail price of US$399.
Source: DigiTimes