Creative Technology’s opportunity to rise again lies in technology shifts and not its audio technology (Once an audio tech leader, can Creative Technology rise again?, Jan 18).

The company had runaway success with sound cards for PCs back in the mid-1990s.

Then in 2000, the company seized the opportunity presented by MP3 becoming a popular standard format, and launched the first mass-produced hard drive-based MP3 player.

The company also made strides into speaker systems, headsets, webcams, home theatre and video-conferencing products to broaden its suite of lifestyle personal digital entertainment offerings.

In 2012, with tablets becoming popular, the company launched HanZpad, a tablet powered by Creative’s own chips targeted at China’s education market.

In summary, the company has in the past successfully seized opportunities presented by technology shifts, and introduced innovative products.

Creative’s ability to rise again will depend on how well Mr Sim Wong Hoo’s successor is able to lead the company to introduce innovative entertainment products that leverage new technologies on the horizon.

Liu Fook Thim