Acer it appears is spoiling for a fight in the PC market, in their sights is the likes of Toshiba, HP, arch rival ASUS, HP and Lenovo.
At a launch today in New York the CEO Jason Chen told an audience on the 68th floor of the World Trade Centre in downtown New York We will be the last man standing in the PC industry.”
One analyst said “This Sounds like fighting talk to us”.
He backed up his comments with a massive roll out of over 40 new Acer products claiming that the Company was now selling over 100,000 products a day. “Which, you know, is quite a lot” he said.
The new products are across multiple categories including notebooks and hybrids, tablets, smartphones, wearables and a mobile home theatre projector as well as a new portable projector.
Chen said that his strategy for 2015 is to build on its strengths in design and being not just fast to market, but first to market with new technologies.
Most of the new products will run Windows 10 with the Taiwanese Company now in a position to deliver a full family of devices running the Microsoft’s latest OS.
Acer also has plans to expand into smart home and connected car tech and accelerate its smartphone and phablet business.
A lot of the products Acer is launching is serious bread and butter PC technology that is well designed and highly functional. Several leading US education system buyers who are responsible for purchasing tens of thousands of PC products said that what Acer is delivering today is ideal for students and teachers.
They praised Acer support and “above all they listen to what teachers and students” need said on US buyer.
The highlights in the laptop department include the new Aspire R11, an 11.6-inch ultraportable that like its larger line mate, the R13, the R11 is a convertible laptop with a screen that flips around so you can use it as a tablet.
Aspire V 15 – Style forged in metal.
The Aspire V 15 combines impressive power with elegant nano-imprint patterning. It has a Full HD display and Dolby? Digital Plus Home Theatre sound. Fast 802.11ac wireless with new MIMO technology, Intel processors and graphics cards, and ample storage options.
Acer executives tipped a heavyweight battle between Windows 10 laptops and Chromebooks breaking out later this year out later this year, with Acer set to be a major player in both markets.
The most interesting product announced was the new Chromebook 15 CB3-531 laptop, which has a 15.6-inch screen and will ship in July with prices starting at a measly US$199. Chromebook prices have dropped in recent months, with little-known companies Haier and HiSense announcing $149 Chromebooks with 11.6-inch screens earlier this month.
Researchers at MIT have developed a prototype trackpad that’s the size of a stick-on nail.
On the Windows side, Acer announced new Aspire laptops and hybrids, which have low, Chromebook-like prices. The laptops are shipping later this year, and will likely come with Windows 8.1, which can be upgraded for free to Windows 10 for at least for one year. Microsoft has said it will launch Windows 10 this summer.
The Windows laptops include two Aspire Switch 10 hybrids, which have 10.1-inch detachable screens that can also function as tablets. The laptops will provide up to 12 hours of battery life.
The entry-level Switch 10 SW3-013 starts at around $350. The Switch 10 SW5-015, which ships in August, has some premium features, such as a Corning Gorilla Glass 3 cover and a full high-definition display. The Switch models have Intel processors and come with up to 64GB of storage.
The new Aspire R11 hybrid has slightly larger 11.6-inch screen, but much like Lenovo’s Yoga, has a screen hardwired to the keyboard. The laptop turns into a tablet when the screen is rotated. It will ship in July with prices starting at $249. Other laptops announced include the Aspire V15, which will ship in August starting at $599, and the entry-level Aspire ES, which will start at $350
Acer has been trying to cut its reliance on PCs by expanding into wearables, smartphones and tablets. But those plans are now on hold with the popularity of its Chromebooks and the upcoming release of Windows 10. Acer became the world’s second largest PC maker in 2009 with help from netbooks, but its laptop shipments have tumbled with the emergence of tablets. Chromebooks have helped reverse some of Acer’s PC shipment declines.
Chromebooks are growing in popularity as an alternative to Windows laptops among people who do most of their computing on the Internet. Chromebooks don’t feature a full set of local applications like on Windows laptops, and usually need an Internet connection to access rich Web applications. But Google is making more applications available to run offline.
The Chromebook industry doubled last year, and Acer’s PC business tripled, said Jason Chen, CEO of Acer, at the press event.
Acer also announced new Android tablets. The Iconia Tab 10 includes a Gorilla Glass 4 screen, while the Iconia One 8 is designed for entry-level use and gaming.
