September 7, 2004

Taiwanese PC Maker on Verge of Sales Push Into U.S. and China

I am in the market for a PC for my children. One option is to buy a Dell computer on eBay for about $230 - $250. It has 128MB of RAM, a 40GB hard disk. A monitor will cost from $50 - $200 extra. I'll either buy from eBay or a retailer and buy either a CRT or LCD monitor.

However, I was passing Staples and saw a NorthGate computer for $500 (with discounts) INCLUDING monitor. Hmmm..... I think I'll be buying that NorthGate (I think!)

Talking about cheap computers, the NY Times writes Acer, the Taiwanese personal computer maker, received a cold dose of reality the last time it tried to conquer the world. But it says it has learned its lesson, and it is going after the United States and Chinese markets again.

Last week, Acer named as its president Gianfranco Lanci, an Italian who led its operations in Europe and the United States. The current president, J. T. Wang, will become the chairman and chief executive. The management shuffle was caused by the retirement of Stan Shih, the company's founder.

The promotion of a Westerner to the No. 2 post is an unusual move for a Taiwanese company. But Acer may need Mr. Lanci's understanding of cross-cultural issues.

Acer, a longtime name in the personal computer industry, is the fifth-largest PC vendor worldwide. But in the second quarter, it surpassed Hewlett-Packard as the top brand of notebook computer in Europe, with a market share of 16.7 percent, according to the research group IDC.

0 comments