Taiwan's Acer aims to triple China sales
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Taiwan-based Acer Inc, the world&#039;s fourth largest branded personal computer vendor, has said it is set to more than triple its sales in China this year through its own retail network.
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Acer has passed Lenovo Group as the world&#39;s third largest PC vendor with its&#160;purchase of Gateway, and now it&#39;s&#160;gunning for U.S. giant Dell.Next year, Acer could take up to a 12 percent share of the global PC market, putting it in the position to challenge Dell, said J.T. Wang, chairman of Acer, at the company&#39;s third-quarter investors&#39; conference in Taipei on Friday.Shipments by Acer have been growing fast this year due in part to a focus on laptop PCs, the hottest segment of the PC market, and the company&#39;s strategy of working closely with distributors.Acer&#39;s shipments grew 58 percent year over year in the third quarter, according to Gartner. The Taiwanese PC vendor accounted for 8.1 percent of global PC shipments during the quarter, compared to its 5.9 percent share during the same time last year. The figures do not include Gateway, which&#160;Acer bought&#160;for $710 million last week.Dell&#39;s unit shipments grew 3.5 percent during the quarter, but it still lost market share compared to last year, finishing in second place at 14.4 percent compared to 15.9 percent.Hewlett-Packard kept its title of the world&#39;s biggest PC vendor by shipments during the quarter with an 18.8 percent share, compared to a 16.1 percent share a year earlier. Lenovo, the fourth place vendor, took an 8 percent share, compared to 7.5 percent last year. Market researcher IDC puts&#160;Lenovo ahead of Acer&#160;according to its third-quarter PC shipment figures.&quot;We believe we can maintain strong growth momentum through 2008,&quot; said Wang.Acer forecasts it will still grow by a double-digit figure next year, and faster than the global PC industry. Executives also said the fourth quarter of this year looks to be a good quarter, with no indication of a decrease in demand for PCs.&quot;We have not seen any slowdown. Demand is still quite good,&quot; said Gianfranco Lanci, president of Acer. He forecast unit shipments to grow 10 percent to 20 percent over the third quarter. The company did not say how many PCs it sold in the third quarter, but Gartner puts the figure at nearly 5.55 million units.In the fourth quarter, Acer will also start adding Gateway shipments to its figures, which will add to its market share.Gateway sold only 865,000 PCs in its biggest market, the U.S., during the third quarter, down from 1.01 million the same time last year, according to Gartner. Lanci believes a stronger laptop PC lineup will boost Gateway&#39;s market share figures in the U.S. going forward because the mobile PC is the hottest segment in the industry. New Gateway laptops could be out as early as the first quarter of next year.And Dell isn&#39;t sitting still. Efforts to turn around its business finally paid off this quarter when its worldwide unit shipments rose for the first time in four quarters. It&#39;s a huge company with a lot of resources and could still turn itself around. Acer&#39;s executives said size was becoming ever more important in the global battle for PC market share because bigger companies can force suppliers to cut their prices. That means Dell, as the second biggest PC maker, is still in a strong position.REFERENCES:Wall Street Beat: Acer masters the Art of War, Aug. 31, 2007Acer completes Gateway acquisition, Oct. 17, 2007Acer to acquire Gateway for $710 million, Aug. 27, 2007Gateway brand to expand after Acer purchase, Aug. 27, 2007
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(InfoWorld) - Shares of Asian PC makers are finally shaking off their summer doldrums as back-to-school sales give them a boost and the upcoming launch of Microsoft's new Vista OS improves their longer term prospects. A buying binge on stock of Taiwanese PC maker Acer started early this week after it was upgraded by Merrill Lynch & Co.Â and a few other large investment banks. The firms noted that after sluggish sales in the first half of the year,Â demand for PCs is on the rise. TheÂ microprocessor price warÂ between Intel and Advanced Micro DevicesÂ (AMD) saw the price on some desktop chips halved, lifting PC demand, analysts say. Microsoft's new OS is expected to come out on time and give the PC market an additional long term boost. "The PC replacement cycle should take place gradually following Microsoftâs launch of its new operating system, Vista, in the first half of 2007," said Daniel Chang, computer industry analyst at Macquarie Research Equities, in a report on Thursday. Acer's shares were also boosted this week after it reported a better-than-expected 36 percent increase in second quarter net profit to NT$3.08 billion (US$93.59 million). It's shares ended up 25 percent for the week, at NT$53.5, on the Taiwan Stock Exchange. Acer's main rival in Asia, Lenovo Group, also saw its stock rise. The company'sÂ U.S.-listed shares increasedÂ 11.2 percent to US$8.45 for this week, as of its close on Thursday. By comparison, Dell and Hewlett-Packard have been laggards. Dell shares are up 3.9 percent so far this week to end at US$22.60 on Thursday, while HP had gained 3.8 percent to US$36.56 over the same time. One reason for the difference in share performance is that Acer and Lenovo stock fell further this year than their U.S. rivals due to PC market concerns andÂ company-specific issues, analysts say, so it's no surprise the rebound has lifted them higher. Another reason Dell and HP have underperformed their Asian peers recently is because U.S. investors are concerned about the economy, including consumer demand and the likelihood of further interest rate increases. Although very little conclusive data is out for U.S. PC sales right now, analysts say demand in Asia is strong, and Europe is heating up. Henry King, executive director of technology research for Goldman Sachs (Asia), noted in a report on Wednesday that strong PC component demand in Europe over the past few weeks should help allay concerns over possible U.S. weakness. "Besides, we expect more Europeans to come back from summer vacations in the next few weeks, so sell thru data is likely to continue to trend up in September," King said. Another factor hurting shares of PC makers this year has been cutthroat price competition. But stronger market demand should ease price competition, analysts say, as should lower costs for microprocessors. In short, the seasonal demand from back-to-school and back-from-vacation sales going on now should extend for quite a while as users continue buying when Vista launches. The strong, steady demand should allow PC makers to charge reasonable prices, increasing their profit margins and making investors happy.
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Hewlett-Packard Co , the world&#39;s  largest personal computer maker, said on Wednesday it will  double its Taiwan headcount between now and 2009 as part of its  strategy to expand its product development on the island.
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The personal computer industry is in for a wave of consolidation, the president of Acer  said on Friday, adding the Taiwanese PC maker did not plan any buys itself for up to two years.
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By George Hsu  A plan to give laptop computers to 100 million poor children is enriching parts makers more than the principal manufacturer, prompting share prices of Taiwanese suppliers to surge.
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China's largest PC maker sees surge in profits but loses market share to multinational companies.
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Taiwanese high-tech giant Acer Inc. on Wednesday announced a leadership reshuffle and the retirement of Stan Shih - the company&#39;s founder and a major figure in Taiwan&#39;s bid to dominate the personal computer industry.
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TAIPEI/SHANGHAI  - Taiwan's Acer Inc will buy  Gateway Inc for $710 million to double its U.S. presence and  unseat China's Lenovo as the world's No. 3 PC maker, while  dealing a blow to its efforts to grow in Europe.
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TAIPEI, Taiwan -- Acer Inc. plans to acquire U.S. computer maker Gateway Inc. for $710 million in a deal that will push the Taiwanese company past China's Lenovo Group as the world's third largest vendor of personal computers.
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Acer Inc. plans to start selling a Ferrari PDA (personal digital assistant), adding to a line of Ferrari-branded computer gear that already includes notebook PCs and a monitor.
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Taiwanese computer firm Acer agrees to take over US PC maker Gateway and eyes the possible purchase of Packard Bell in Europe.
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Acer has passed Lenovo as the world's third largest PC vendor with its purchase of Gateway, and now it's gunning for U.S. giant Dell.
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InfoWorld - Acer&#160;plans to start selling a Ferrari PDA (personal digital assistant), adding to a&#160;line of Ferrari-branded computer gear&#160;that already includes notebook PCs and a monitor.
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TAIPEI/SHANGHAI  - Taiwan's Acer  will buy Gateway  for $710 million, creating the world's No. 3 PC maker and doubling its U.S. presence while dealing a blow to arch-foe Lenovo's  efforts to grow in Europe.
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TAIPEI, Taiwan - Taiwanese high-tech giant Acer Inc. on Wednesday announced a leadership reshuffle and the retirement of Stan Shih _ the company&#39;s founder and a major figure in Taiwan&#39;s bid to dominate the personal computer industry.
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A fast growth rate and recent acquisitions in the U.S. and Europe will extend Acer's lead over Lenovo as the world's third-largest PC vendor.