Acer founder: iPad, MacBook Air are short-term fads

[*LTD*]

Acer founder: iPad, MacBook Air are short-term fads

“Acer founder Stan Shih has commented that the fads for ultrabooks and tablet PCs are both short-term phenomena and urged companies in the notebook supply chain to come out with more value-added products through innovation,” Aaron Lee and Joseph Tsai report for DigiTimes.

Commenting on Apple bringing tablet PC and smartphone products into the PC market to compete with PC players and creating a great impact on PC demand, Shih pointed out that PCs are the base of the IT industry and tablet PCs are also developed from the base; therefore, in the future, products will still need to go through the PC platform to create even more add-on value,” Lee and Tsai report.

Electronista reports, “The comments as a whole were consistent with a pattern of attempts to primarily dismiss Apple’s success, which he called a mutant virus last September. Heeding Shih’s advice has so far proven dangerous for Acer. The company fell from second to fourth in PCs precisely because it didn’t take competition from the iPad seriously.”

“Acer’s fall was fast enough that the company ousted CEO Gianfranco Lanci earlier this year and refocused its entire mobile strategy, making tablets and phones important while moving its notebook strategy away from netbooks and cheap notebooks to higher-quality systems,” Electronista reports. “The company is believed to be one of those in the first wave of those following Intel’s ultrabook guidelines, suggesting that it’s ignoring Shih’s advice and planning to replicate the success of the MacBook Air.”

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These guys are practically handing Apple the next 5-7 years on a silver platter. They aren't even trying anymore.

 

[Stella]

How long does a product have to be popular before it is considered not to be a Fad?

I remember microsoft thought the WWW was a fad and would die away.

 

[TheSideshow]

iPad, maybe.

Macbook Air, probably not since they've added up to date processors.

 

[Apple OC]

Does he feel the same way about all those crappy Acer netbooks they flood the market with?

 

[ComputersaysNo]

Acer is a long-term fad

 

[ChazUK]

Why can't they just give credit where it's due?

The Tablet form factor is easily at the forefront if my casual computing needs. Lightweight & powerful with amazing battery life. Apple are leading the way when it comes to tablets easily and deserve the credit for shaking up another fledgling market.

The MacBook Air has evolved into a great product also. If they've got nothing nice to say, why say anything at all?

 

[TheSideshow]

Acer is a long-term fad

Im still waiting for them to be "more like Apple". PC manufacturers are what are giving market to Apple/OS X IMO, not Microsoft.

 

[rhett7660]

Why can't they just give credit where it's due?

The Tablet form factor is easily at the forefront if my casual computing needs. Lightweight & powerful with amazing battery life. Apple are leading the way when it comes to tablets easily and deserve the credit for shaking up another fledgling market.

The MacBook Air has evolved into a great product also. If they've got nothing nice to say, why say anything at all?

That would mean they would have to admit they were wrong in the path they chose for their company! Can't have that.

 

[thejadedmonkey]

Doesn't surprise me. The iPod fad is fading, too. How many people do you know with an iPod now, as opposed to years ago? The only thing Apple has going is that Apple's been at the forefront of the last 2 tech-fads and tends to create them.

A wise wizard once said "This too shall pass".

 

[munkery]

Could those statements be due to the fact that PC manufacturers are having a hard time matching the spec at a lower price for devices similar to the MacBook Air and iPad?

The iPod fad is fading, too.

The iPhone is supplanting the iPod.

 

[nuckinfutz]

Recent history is littered with grandiose statements from competitors.

The problem is Apple isn't their peer. Apple has more financial resources than any of these companies can muster so their only hope is to be a supplier of parts Apple needs or hope their misdirection and FUD works...which it won't.

 

[roadbloc]

Doesn't surprise me. The iPod fad is fading, too. How many people do you know with an iPod now, as opposed to years ago? The only thing Apple has going is that Apple's been at the forefront of the last 2 tech-fads and tends to create them.

A wise wizard once said "This too shall pass".

Meh. One could argue that Smartphones are overtaking the portable media players. The product lifeline is coming to an end, who would buy a separate media playing device when pretty much all phones have the same capabilities?

Your logic states that VHS Cassettes were a fad, because we are all on DVD and BluRay now.

 

[rhett7660]

Meh. One could argue that Smartphones are overtaking the portable media players. The product lifeline is coming to an end, who would buy a separate media playing device when pretty much all phones have the same capabilities?

Your logic states that VHS Cassettes were a fad, because we are all on DVD and BluRay now.

Thank you, couldn't have said it better.

 

[*LTD*]

Meh. One could argue that Smartphones are overtaking the portable media players. The product lifeline is coming to an end, who would buy a separate media playing device when pretty much all phones have the same capabilities?

Your logic states that VHS Cassettes were a fad, because we are all on DVD and BluRay now.

Couldn't have stated it better myself.

 

[ucfgrad93]

Meh. One could argue that Smartphones are overtaking the portable media players. The product lifeline is coming to an end, who would buy a separate media playing device when pretty much all phones have the same capabilities?

Your logic states that VHS Cassettes were a fad, because we are all on DVD and BluRay now.

Well said.

 

[TheSideshow]

http://www.engadget.com/2011/08/09/acers-aspire-3951-leaks-with-macbook-air-like-specs-available/

It looks like Acer may be dropping down to the lightweight laptop division, now that images of its so-called Aspire 3951 have leaked out of Vietnam. An ostensible rival to the recently refreshed MacBook Air, the 13.3-inch 3951 reportedly boasts a similarly slim design, measuring 13mm thick and weighing less than 1.4 kilograms (about three pounds). According to Sohoa, the aluminum-cased device is powered by a second generation Intel Core processor, features an optional 160GB SSD, and offers more than six hours of battery life, along with Bluetooth 4.0 support. Much like the Air, this Aspire can purportedly boot up pretty fast, as well, rousing from sleep mode in just 1.7 seconds. It's rumored that Acer will release this new line in October within the curiously affordable price range between $770 and $960, but we'll have to wait and see whether that actually comes to fruition

 

[*LTD*]

It's rumored that Acer will release this new line in October within the curiously affordable price range between $770 and $960, but we'll have to wait and see whether that actually comes to fruition

Acer isn't known for certain things, and if you know what those are, then the reason for the "curiously affordable price range" will become clear.

 

[mrsir2009]

A MacBook Air is an advanced laptop... All laptops are heading that way, so I don't think its a fad. The iPad on the other hand is a fad IMO.

 

[stphnman20]

Acer=Hater

 

[paolo-]

Acer founder: iPad, MacBook Air are short-term fads
“Acer founder Stan Shih urged companies in the notebook supply chain to come out with more value-added products through innovation,”

It seems like if every tech company came out with this very statement this year. They all seem too awestruck by Apple to try something new. Really, everything is starting to look like knockoffs. The lesson the other companies should learn is that people want devices that were well thought out, to be used by human and don't mind the high price tag that goes with it, if it's worth it (acer has a 2 to 3% profit margin, Apple is 20-40%, of course Apple can put the money in RnD). It's not Gb and GHz that count, in the end can you get stuff done in a pleasing manner. Really, invest in research and development, make innovative products and have a concise product line that is quality.

 

[KingCrimson]

Anyone buys Acer PCs? They've long been known as the bargain bin. Acer known for innovation, puh-leese!

 

[boonlar]

It seems like if every tech company came out with this very statement this year. They all seem too awestruck by Apple to try something new. Really, everything is starting to look like knockoffs. The lesson the other companies should learn is that people want devices that were well thought out, to be used by human and don't mind the high price tag that goes with it, if it's worth it (acer has a 2 to 3% profit margin, Apple is 20-40%, of course Apple can put the money in RnD). It's not Gb and GHz that count, in the end can you get stuff done in a pleasing manner. Really, invest in research and development, make innovative products and have a concise product line that is quality.

The Lenovo Thinkpad tablet is the only tablet with an active digitizer and stylus. That's pretty innovative in a sea of finger input only tablets.

Asus came out with the Transformer that turns it into a laptop for full PC functionality.

I own the Asus Transformer but it gets boring and I don't use it for several days sometimes. Tablets are pretty much a fad. Windows 8 will change everything though because then you will have the transformer ability but with a real operating system. Turn it into a tablet or a laptop for whatever you need.

Also Acer used to be really bad but their TimelineX series is built well and it's a great value. In a few years Acer will be caught up with the other companies in terms of quality.

 

[Tiggs]

Theres a reason why Acer has never been a leader, always a follower. iPad sales figures alone show a developing trend and clearly not a fad. Reminds me of all the 2008 talk saying the iPhone was a fad