PCR Tech and IT retail, distribution and vendor news
Taiwan-based Acer is currently the fourth largest PC vendor in the world, but is looking to overtake its nearest competitor Lenovo in third place.
Acer Chairman and CEO JT Wang told the Wall Street Journal that the company wants to make a meaningful acquisition of another PC vendor this year: "We are looking at some candidates which we want to pick up."
Many speculative quarters of the industry are predicting that any such takeover would comfortably push Acer in front of Lenovo, making it the worldwide number three PC vendor.
However Wang said that even if an acquisition of this type didn’t happen, he expected Acer to at least outstrip Lenovo in mainland China. He is predicting that his firm will grow by at least 30 per cent this year, while the industry as a whole will grow at a much slower rate.
There is precedent to support the CEO’s bold claims. Acer has grown at a faster rate than any of the top PC vendors since 2003, outdoing larger competition from the likes of Dell and smaller rivals such as Apple and Toshiba.
In the fourth quarter of 2006 Acer held a market share of 7.1 per cent, over double its 2003 figure of 2.3 per cent. Much of this success is down to Acer’s commitment to the growing markets of Europe and Asia.
