Vizio to Venture into Mobile Industry

When the craze for high-definition television programming first started to become mainstream, users were in search of a solution that would allow them to keep up to date with the latest must-have without shelling out a great deal of cash to do so.  However, there was somewhat of a void in the television market for a company that produced lower-priced HD entertainment.  This gap was ultimately filled by Vizio; a company that has become well-known for quality HDTV systems at prices that were once unheard of.  Now, after penetrating the HD market, Vizio is looking to widen its horizons and venture into the newest emerging market out there: the mobile market.

In less than three weeks, Vizio is expected to debut a new line of mobile products at the Consumer Electronics Show.  These Android-based products, which will include cell-phone and tablet-computer devices, would be a direct competition to the success already seen by Apple’s iPhone and iPad products.  While Vizio is definitely not the only company looking to grasp onto the mobile industry, there are a few key components that could help the discount electronics company.

First and foremost, I honestly believe that because Vizio has a highly publicized and highly successful role in the production, sales, and distribution of HD television systems, they will be able to market their products based on consumer confidence in the company and their standing reputation.  While the same can be said for Nvidia – who is also prospecting the mobile industry – Vizio has an advantage in the sense that they have not only gained a reputable image in the eyes of your everyday consumer, but they have gained a reputation for low prices as well.

While this is definitely a feature that they can use in their favor, one also has to consider that Acer also has the same reputation for reasonable pricing.  With Acer being intent on taking a swing at the mobile industry, it will be interesting to see how things pan out if and when there is an influx of relatively inexpensive  mobile computing devices; especially when they are both manufactured by companies with good track-records for video performance and quality.

In terms of distribution, Vizio’s being a well-known brand goes hand-in-hand with the fact that the company’s products are sold at large box-stores such as Wal-Mart and BestBuy.  I think that if Vizio is able to take advantage of their already-established distribution channels, they will be set for success simply because they will have made their products readily available.

I also think that Vizio’s introduction to the mobile industry will have residual effects not only on their company, but on other entities and their respective products.  You see, it seems that all of the new players in the mobile market have extensive backgrounds in video and graphics.  Because of this, it’s safe to say that graphics quality and performance will be a big selling-point for consumers, and that in order to be successful mobile manufacturers are going to have to remain competitive.  This also more-or-less guarantees that the dubbed “iPad 2” is going to have to have some type of beefed-up graphics; quite possibly a retina display such as the one seen in the fourth generation iPhone/iPod Touch line.

What do you think?  Will Vizio be able to make a mark on the mobile industry just like they did the HDTV market?  Let us know in the comments!