Acer still expects to sell more netbooks in 2009 than in 2008. But the company is scaling back its projections and now expects to ship between 10 and 12 million mini-laptops rather than 12 to 15 million.
This news came out as part of Acer’s first quarter financial results today. The recession is taking its toll on Acer, just as it is with most other major companies, and Acer saw profits drop by 31 percent or about $60 million.
Netbook sales are still one of brightest spots in the PC alandscape, and Acer’s strong presence in the netbook space may have helped keep the company from losing even more money — but it’s also possible that Acer”s emphasis on netbooks could be costing the company since netbooks carry significantly lower profit margins than larger, fuller featured laptops.
via Netbook Choice
They’d probably see better numbers if they differentiated themselves more. I’m more than ready to see a big player like Acer show us what can really be done in this space.
Absolutely. They used to epitomise the classic “small cheap computer” better than anyone else, but have lost their way by becoming also-rans.