Acer Inc.: Difference between revisions

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Browse history interactively
← Previous editNext edit →
Content deleted Content added
VisualWikitext
Line 131: Line 131:


==Acer and Linux==
==Acer and Linux==
Acer has stated that it will be pushing [[Linux]] aggressively on its laptops and notebooks.
Acer has stated that it will be pushing [[Linux]] aggressively on its new laptops and notebooks.
They are already heavily promoting Linux for its low cost ultra-portable netbook range out later this year, but senior staff have said that Acer will also push Linux on its laptops as well.
They are already heavily promoting Linux for its low cost ultra-portable netbook range out later this year, but senior staff have said that Acer will also push Linux on its laptops as well.
Acer has already started selling Linux in its Media PC business.<ref>{{cite web
Acer has already started selling Linux in its Media PC business.<ref>{{cite web
Line 140: Line 140:
| accessdate = 2008-07-31
| accessdate = 2008-07-31
| format =
| format =
}}</ref> Linux support for older Acer laptops is still variable due to the use of a variety of unsupported chipsets.
}}</ref>


==Products==
==Products==

Revision as of 19:28, 13 November 2008

Acer Incorporated
Company typePublic (TWSE: 2353)
IndustryComputer hardware
Founded1976
FounderStan Shih et al.
Headquarters
Taiwan Taipei
,
Taiwan
Key people
J.T. Wang, Chairman & CEO of Acer Group
Gianfranco Lanci, CEO of Acer[1]
ProductsDesktops, Laptops, Servers, IT Services, Handhelds, Monitors, LCD TVs, Video projectors, Digital cameras
RevenueIncreaseUS$19 billion (2008)
24,716,786,000 New Taiwan dollar (2019) Edit this on Wikidata
IncreaseUS$338 million (2006)
Number of employees
6,554 (2005)
SubsidiariesAcer Computer Australia, Acer India, Acer America Corporation,
Gateway, Inc.,
Packard Bell
eMachines
E-TEN
Websitewww.acer.com

Acer Incorporated (LSE: ACID) (Chinese: 宏碁股份有限公司) is a Taiwanese multinational electronics manufacturer. It owns the largest franchised computer retail chain in Taipei, Taiwan.[2] Acer is the third largest computer manufacturer in the world (by sales) after HP and Dell Inc.[3] and its product lineup includes desktops and laptops, as well as personal digital assistants (PDAs), servers and storage, displays, peripherals, and e-business services for business, government, education, and home users.

History

Multitech, founded by Stan Shih (施振榮), his wife Carolyn Yeh, and a group of five others in 1976, was renamed Acer in 1987. It began with eleven employees and US$25,000 in capital. Initially, it was primarily a distributor of electronic parts and a consultant in the use of microprocessor technologies. The global headquarters is in Hsichih City, Taiwan. Acer purchased Texas Instruments' mobile PC (laptop) division in 1997.

In 2000, Acer spun off its manufacturing operation as Wistron Corporation, to focus itself on branding business. In deciding to support the sales of its product lines through specific marketing activities that best utilise distribution channels, Acer grew worldwide while its labour force contracted. In 2002, the pan Acer Group employed 39,000 people supporting dealers and distributors in more than 100 countries.[citation needed] Revenues reached US$12.9 billion that year.[citation needed] By 2005, Acer employed 7,800 people throughout the world while maintaining a global sales and service network. Revenues were US$4.9 billion in 2003[1] and US$11.31 billion in 2006. Acer's North American market share slipped over the past few years while the European market share has gone up.[4]

In Europe, Acer mounted an association with the Ferrari Formula 1 Team and the former F1 teams, BAR-Honda team in 2000 and Prost Grand Prix in 2001. They offer a popular line of premium laptops and LCD monitors with Ferrari branding. It has recently broadened the scope of its relationship with Ferrari by announcing it will sponsor the Formula One team until 2008. Acer has recently introduced the Ferrari line of products to North America, and rolled out a Ferrari-branded line of PDA devices.

Acer ranks as the world's No. 3 branded PC vendor behind the Hewlett Packard Company and Dell Inc, recently claiming the No.3 rank from Lenovo. [5] It has surpassed Dell in worldwide notebook shipments, becoming the world's No. 2 branded notebook vendor.[6]

But it has recently lost its 2nd position to Dell to become 3rd only by a small margin. Moreover Acer will put renewed efforts in its newly acquired brands to regain its place. [7]

In September 2008, Acer surpassed HP and Dell over worldwide notebook shipment. [8]

On August 27, 2007, Acer announced plans to acquire U.S. based rival Gateway Inc. for US$710 million. J.T. Wang, the company's chairman, said in a statement that the acquisition "completes Acer's global footprint, by strengthening our U.S. presence."[9] In January 2008, Acer announced that it had acquired a controlling interest of 75% of Packard Bell.[10]

Operations

Australia

The Australian subsidiary of Acer is Acer Computer Australia (ACA). The subsidiary was established in 1990. and is currently Australia's third largest personal computer vendor, behind Hewlett-Packard Australia and Dell Australia and New Zealand. Acer Computer Australia has Australia's highest overall market share in notebook PC and tablet PC sales. The company is also Australia's leading PC vendor in government and education markets. Acer Computer Australia has 480 employees as of 2006.

India

Acer's subsidiary in India is Acer India, which apart from being top in the overall desktop and notebook market, is the leading vendor in key segments such as education. Its headquarters are in Bangalore, India. Leveraging the vast collective technological resources available - Acer India (Pvt) Ltd., was incorporated as a wholly owned subsidiary of Acer Computer International Ltd. on 9th September 1999.

Europe, Middle East and Africa

Acer is the Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) region leader in the notebook sector, holding 18% market share in Q1 2005. Confirming its leadership in the EMEA notebook market, in 2005 Acer ranked first in 13 countries: Italy, Spain, Austria, The Netherlands, Switzerland, The Czech Republic, Russia, Portugal, Belgium, Denmark, Poland, Hungary, Slovakia and Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina. Europe was the company's biggest market in 2005.

North America

Acer America Corporation, headquartered in San Jose, California, is a member of the Acer Group. Acer's R&D, engineering, manufacturing and marketing operations in the United States and Canada are handled by Acer America Corporation. In September 1990, Acer acquired Altos Computer Systems, one of the top manufacturers of multiuser and networked UNIX computer systems for commercial markets. In February 1997, Acer acquired Texas Instruments Mobile Computing business, including the award-winning TravelMate and Extensa notebook lines, making Acer the fourth-leading notebook manufacturer in the United States. Acer America's Canadian office, in Mississauga, Ontario, handles sales and marketing, manufacturing, and customer service activities in Canada. Acer owns Gateway, eMachines and Packard Bell brands in North America.

Controversy and criticism

Acer has been the subject of lawsuits, notably from its rival, Hewlett-Packard. According to the lawsuit, Acer was infringing numerous technological patents, including power management in notebooks.[11]

Acer America Corporation has previously had an unsatisfactory record with the United States Better Business Bureau. It is currently awaiting re-evaluation. [12]

Acer and Linux

Acer has stated that it will be pushing Linux aggressively on its new laptops and notebooks. They are already heavily promoting Linux for its low cost ultra-portable netbook range out later this year, but senior staff have said that Acer will also push Linux on its laptops as well. Acer has already started selling Linux in its Media PC business.[13] Linux support for older Acer laptops is still variable due to the use of a variety of unsupported chipsets.

Products

Acer Notebook
Acer Aspire 3610 Notebook
Acer Aspire 5520 Notebook
Acer Aspire 4520 Notebook
Acer Aspire One

Desktops

Notebooks

Netbook

Personal digital assistants

Automotive navigation systems

Servers and storage

Workstations

Computer displays

Other



Brands

Sport

Acer sponsored the BAR-Honda Formula One racing team in the year 2000. [15] In 2001, Acer provided sponsorship to the Prost Grand Prix Formula One team, and the team's Ferrari engines were badged as Acers.

Acer currently sponsors the Ferrari Formula 1 team. In 2003 Acer signed a Gold Partner sponsorship deal with FC Internazionale - Milano (Inter Milan) Football Club. From January 2007, Acer has become Official Supplier of FC Barcelona. [16] On March 19, 2007, Acer announced that they will sponsor the Factory Fiat Yamaha Team for the 2007 MotoGP World Championship season.

There was an agreement beginning on January 1, 2009 which includes the 2010 Winter Olympic Games in Vancouver and the London 2012 Summer Olympic Games. Under this agreement, Acer will be listed among the Worldwide TOP Partners for both the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Winter Games and for the London 2012 Summer Olympics.

See also

References

  1. ^ a b "Gianfranco Lanci is appointed President of Acer Inc., effective January 2005" (PDF). Acer. 2004-09-01. Retrieved 2007-04-27. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  2. ^ "About Acer - Milestones". Acer. Retrieved 2007-07-07.
  3. ^ "Acer eclipses Lenovo, takes aim at Dell". ITworld.com. 2007-10-26. Retrieved 2007-10-26. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  4. ^ "PC market surged in 2005, will settle in 2006". cnet. 2006-01-18. Retrieved 2007-07-07. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  5. ^ "Hewlett-Packard Expands PC Market-Share Lead Over Dell in Q3". iSuppli. 2007-11-29. Retrieved 2007-12-02. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  6. ^ "Acer slips past dell in worldwide notebook shipments". DailyTech/DisplayResearch. 2008-03-05. Retrieved 2008-03-11. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  7. ^ "Dell recaptures number two spot in 1Q08 notebook market". Digitimes/DisplaySearch. 2008-06-13. Retrieved 2008-06-16. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  8. ^ "Acer surpasses HP and Dell over worldwide notebook shipment in September". Digitimes/DisplaySearch. 2008-10-09. Retrieved 2008-10-10. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  9. ^ Taiwan's Acer to buy PC maker Gateway - World business - MSNBC.com
  10. ^ Acer Buys 75 Percent of Packard Bell making it the 2nd largest computer maker in the world - Washington Post
  11. ^ HP sues Acer again over patents - CNET News.com
  12. ^ "BBB Reliability Report: Acer America Corporation". Better Business Bureau. Retrieved 2008-08-13.
  13. ^ "Acer bets big on Linux". Vnunet. 2008-06-04. Retrieved 2008-07-31. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  14. ^ Products & Services - PDA
  15. ^ About Acer - News Release
  16. ^ About Acer - News Release

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Acer computers.

Template:Companies portal Template:IT giants

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Acer_Inc.&oldid=251610716"