At IUIGA, we are a firm believer in disruption that brings about more good in the world. With our disruptive business model, philosophy and commitment to premium quality everyday goods at completely transparent prices; we hope to shake things up.
In this vein, we are starting a new series where IUIGA discusses disruptive products, companies, and concepts, in an effort to start a conversation about these things. Our opinion may be partial, so we welcome you to discuss this together in the comments.
This week we will be covering AFTERSHOCK PC, the Made in Singapore laptop brand that disrupted the gaming laptop market in Singapore to give their customers the utmost performance, support, and value.
AFTERSHOCK Origins – Finding The Formula to Deliver The Best Gaming Laptop
It was in 2011 that founders Marcus Wee, Joe Wee (Yes, they are twin brothers) and their friend Lam Ziyuan came together to start AFTERSHOCK. Growing up, the brothers attended boarding schools overseas which made it difficult for them to get their PC gaming fix. Naturally, they got laptops instead to feed their gaming habit. On one occasion, Marcus bought a customized gaming laptop from the US and was very impressed by the product. At the same time, Joe was located in New Zealand on a working holiday. Prior to 2011, Joe was working his way up in the corporate world and was feeling jaded. Marcus then asked his brother to come back to Singapore to take up marketing for the brand and the rest you can say is history.
Disruption
Back in 2011, getting a gaming laptop in Singapore meant that you were paying a huge premium.
In 2011, 95per cent of gaming laptops with screens that were 17 inches or larger sold in Singapore cost $2,500 or more, according to market researcher GfK.
Marcus had a dream, he wanted to empower his fellow gamers to customize their own gaming laptops and not compromise on performance, support and value. When you buy a product from AFTERSHOCK, you will get performance and quality that exceeds your expectations at a fraction of the price.
AFTERSHOCK PC’s First Laptop – The X11
The first laptop that they launched was the X11 in Jul of 2012. You could fully customize the options for the laptop. A typical laptop configuration like the one mentioned below would cost about $1800 at that time. This is a lot more affordable than the other gaming laptops on the market. AFTERSHOCK is thus able to deliver great value to the consumer without the excessive markups which are similar to what IUIGA does.
The specifications;
1) 3rd Generation Intel® Ivy Bridge Core™ i7-3610QM
(2.3GHz – 3.3GHz, 6MB Intel® Smart Cache, 45W Max TDP)
2) NVIDIA GEFORCE GT 650M 2GB DDR3
3) IC Diamond Thermal Compound CPU + GPU
4) Kingston 8GB DDR3 1333mhz
5) 256 GB Crucial M4 SSD
6) 11.6 Inch HD Premium Matte LED display (1366 x768)
7) Intel Wireless N Advanced 6235 + Bluetooth combo card
8) Windows 7 Home Premium x64
9) 1.8 kg (lightweight for a gaming laptop)
On top of the affordable prices, AFTERSHOCK was so disruptive as they offered an astounding amount of customization in a market that knew only off the shelf brands.
Aftershock and Clevo – Name a Better Duo
How was this achieved you may ask. In a similar vein to IUIGA, AFTERSHOCK works with Clevo, a Laptop Orgininal Design Manufacturer (ODM) and Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) that exclusively produces laptops. Clevo has been well received amongst the notebook enthusiasts community, with their truly unique designs that cannot be found elsewhere. It is likely that most of their laptops are Clevo OEM platforms that are customized by Aftershock for the consumer.
If you are willing to pay a bit extra, you can have it customized as well.
Super Support
Another way that AFTERSHOCK PC is disruptive, is the comprehensive warranty package and service that they offer. Unlike the other international customer notebook builders and off the shelf manufacturers that offer a vague one-year policy, all AFTERSHOCK PC gives their comprehensive 2-year warranty package with great terms, procedures and great customer service. On their Facebook page, they received a 9.4 out of 10 based on the opinion of 1,741 people.
Even their clients who had bad initial experiences go away happy with their customer service team going out of their way to address their needs.
The best, part, you’ll be attended to by their CEO, Moonfang, a cat that seems vital to their operations and business.
Criticisms
However, getting an Aftershock comes with its drawbacks. As far as design goes, what you are getting from Aftershock is solid but nothing as premium and refined like the Razer Blade. Their laptops also tend to be heavier than their competitors and slightly worse battery life according to reviews. But then again, you are paying a premium for their competitor’s laptops. For example, the AFTERSHOCK APEX 15 will cost about $2,567 while a similarly specced Razer Blade Pro 15 starts at $3,399.
Concluding Thoughts
In sum, AFTERSHOCK PC’S values and their commitment to bring about the most value to their customers without excessive markups resonates with us; showing that gaming doesn’t have to be costly. Although retailers are not obliged to reduce their markups, you can vote with your wallet.
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