Acer cashes in on Chromebook craze with new laptop
Chromebooks are gaining popularity at the expense of Windows machines, and Acer is cashing in with a touchscreen laptop based on Google's Chrome OS.
Chromebooks are gaining popularity at the expense of Windows machines, and Acer is cashing in with a touchscreen laptop based on Google's Chrome OS.
Taiwanese computer maker Acer has named Jason Chen, vice president of worldwide sales and marketing at Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing, as its new president and CEO, effective Jan. 1.
In its first move since ordering a company reorganization, Acer said it is focusing more on software and services to revive its struggling PC business. But analysts expect the company to face a tough road with its new direction, at a time when rivals are also focusing on the cloud.
Acer wanted to make the Aspire Z3-600 all-in-one PC easy to move around, so it integrated a battery into the computer.
Acer will have to choose new leaders with expertise in tablets and brand-building to shed its reputation as a low-end seller of notebooks, analysts said.
Acer announced the first Chromebook laptop with a touchscreen for US$299.99, which is about $100 more than the company's cheapest non-touch model.
Acer's upcoming CEO has abruptly resigned from the troubled PC maker, in a surprise move that will result in founder Stan Shih temporarily taking over leadership.
Acer is trying to push down the prices of Chromebooks, announcing a new laptop with Chrome OS priced at US$199.99.
Best known for its low-cost laptops, Acer doesn't really inspire thoughts of premium products. But building high-end hardware could be the Taiwanese vendor's best shot as it looks for a way to rescue its struggling business.
The PC industry's hemorrhaging continued on Tuesday, as Acer announced that it lost nearly half a billion dollars in the last three months--an utter disaster that prompted the company to boot CEO J.T. Wang out the door, along with 7 percent of Acer's staff.
Acer CEO J.T. Wang is resigning from his post at the Taiwanese PC maker and will be replaced by president Jim Wong as part of a corporate restructuring that will try to revitalize the company's sagging fortunes.
Acer's much anticipated Iconia W4 tablet with Windows 8.1 will be available this month starting at US$329.99 with 32GB of storage.
The projector market could be nearing its peak after recording stable shipping figures for three consecutive quarters, according to IDC anlaysts.
The PC market remained weak in the third quarter, but the expiration of Microsoft's support for Windows XP in April next year may have prompted users to look at upgrades, which eased the slump.
Intel and Google showed off the next generation of Chromebooks from Hewlett-Packard, Acer and Toshiba, which will be faster and more power-efficient than predecessors.