Acer insists netbooks and tablets to co-exist

Acer quickly stepped in with a response to a Taiwan sales manager's claims that Acer's tablet line was part of a strategy to phase out netbooks. The company claimed that its new slates were an expansion as the industry shifted. Both netbooks and tablets would exist side-by-side, it said.

"Mobility, which has always been part of Acer’s DNA, finds a new form of expression in the range of tablets on offer, which feature various display sizes and models designed to fit different kinds of usage scenarios," Acer's official statement read. "Acer recognizes that the computer market is changing. As PCs are no longer only used to create content but are more and more becoming consumption tools, new devices and new form factors are appearing. This means the range of devices available to users is getting wider and tablets are just another piece of the mosaic. Therefore, they will find their space next to netbooks and notebooks."

The statements suggest that the manager, Lu Bing-hsian, spoke out of turn on Acer's plans and would be somewhat more consistent with Acer's attitude. Publicly, it has turned its attitude from one of mostly rejecting tablets to hoping to overtake Apple. However, it has still clung to its netbook strategy even as it may have been wounded severely by the iPad with steep market share declines both in the US and worldwide.

It also calls into question the notions of Intel Sandy Bridge-based tablets running Android. So far, its lone confirmed x86 tablet will run Windows 7 on AMD's Fusion, while at least three others will use ARM and Android.

By Electronista Staff

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