Acer thinks iPad would win due to iTunes

Acer today said it won't produce a tablet to compete with the iPad. The firm's Taiwan-area president Scott Lin explained that Acer could produce the hardware but that Apple can ensure a healthy software environment for its tablet through the App Store. Others such as Acer don't have that experience and will likely have a tougher time as a result.

Lin also noted to DigiTimes that Apple tends to choose markets that it can define on its own terms. The approach leaves many companies unlikely to succeed as they would simply be following the model established by someone else.

He nonetheless doesn't expect the iPad to cannibalize Acer's netbook sales as he believes the two occupy different spaces. The Aspire One now costs as little as $300 versus $500 for Apple's least expensive device and lacks any kind of touchscreen. About 20 percent of Acer's sales will stem from netbooks.

Most of Acer's lineup for 2010 will focus on larger notebooks, with 50 to 60 percent being full-size notebooks and 20 to 30 percent being CULV-based models in the Timeline series. Its only handheld touchscreen devices this year will be Android-based smartphones like the Liquid as well as some Windows Mobile devices.

By Electronista Staff

Post tools:

TAGS :  

industry, gadgets, Acer, tablet, Aspire, mobile phones, Apple, Timeline, iPad