Acer Looks Forward to Better 2012, But Challenges Remain

From DailyTech: Acer continues to look forward to a better 2012 after having a stormy 2011 and recent problems with management. Acer is currently ranked as the fourth largest computer shipper in the world and the company says that Q2 2012 looks relatively normal compared to the first half of last year when sales were down significantly.

Acer is remaining cautious though, saying that most consumers are still moving slowly on major purchases because of global economic woes. The company believes that the computer industry will return to growth this year and then reach a double-digit growth rate in 2013.

Acer is going to bet on Intel's ultrabook platform for that growth.

"We have restarted on a positive cycle and are improving day by day," Acer's chairman, J.T. Wang, told an investor conference. "Overall, our competitiveness is coming back. Our market share in the first quarter was 10.9 percent, Dell was 11 percent. In not so long a time we will be back to No.3."

Acer has had trouble competing in the computer market, but it has even more trouble competing against Apple in the tablet market. Acer has yet to offer a competitive tablet, and plans to fight Apple with an ultrabook priced similarly to the iPad. Acer is hoping for success with ultrabooks, but Wang said that challenges persist and placed some of the blame for the challenges on "inadequate marketing effort by the whole PC industry and high prices of ultrabooks."

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