Acer’s new gameplay

MANILA, Philippines - At the launch of two Acer Windows 10 devices in Taipei early this month, Acer also brought into view its vision of the next big thing in computing. 

While the Taiwanese computer maker already has an extensive Windows 10 device portfolio, the two new devices launched – the Aspire R 14 convertible notebook and the Aspire Z3-700 all-in-one PC – are expected to introduce many changes into how people use and interact with devices and connect.

The 14-inch Aspire R14, with its 360-degree dual torque hinge, allows users to position the device in four ways – notebook mode, display mode, tablet mode and tent mode. The 17.3-inch Aspire Z3-700, on the other hand, boasts of a built-in battery with five hours’ life and comes with a stylus for input and more precise control.

Both devices come with enhanced voice and digital processing (DSP) that allows background noise cancelling and improve speech accuracy, both of which are necessary for a new feature called Cortana or a personal digital assistant that helps users find files on the device such as files, manage calendar entries, or implement commands. 

Other features unique to the Windows 10 experience include Continuum, which allows users to easily switch between tablet and desktop modes when using convertible devices, and Microsoft Edge, a new browsing experience that allows users to remove extra distractions in a web page, customize background to get the optimal reading experience, and write, draw and take notes directly on web pages.

“As a technology company, we believe in technology innovation. We developed our research so that we will be able to bring the benefits of technology to the hands of many, many people,” says Jason Chen, CEO of Acer, in his keynote address.

At the launch of Windows 10 last July, Terry Myerson, executive vice president, Windows and Devices Group, Microsoft, cited that the world that has grown up with Windows has changed. “Devices now outnumber people, connectivity is oxygen. No matter what machines we are working on we just expect our experiences to work,” he says.

In Taipei two weeks ago, he revealed that within 10 weeks of the launch of Windows 10, the new operating system now has 110 million users. In Taiwan alone, 10 percent of consumer PCs have been upgraded to Windows 10 and around 625 million hours of usage have been logged in. This is because new devices built on the new operating system have been optimized for new experiences.

“We designed Windows 10 to be safer for consumers and businesses and need to be safe for the  online connected world we have now. We designed them to be more personal and productive. We are all focused on new innovative strengths in Windows 10 such as switch between tablet and PC mode, Windows 10 for gaming and the best Windows ever for our customers,” he said.

Getting more innovative

Research firms IDC and Gartner both reported a lackluster volume of PC shipments in the third quarter of the year. While Windows 10 was launched during the quarter, both analyst firms said it had a minimal impact on the shipments as consumers were upgrading to Windows 10 on existing PCs rather than purchase new hardware.

Jay Chou, research manager, IDC Worldwide PC Tracker, however, believes that the improved PC experience across user segments in Windows 10 should drive longer-term demand for new PC hardware. Mikako Kitagawa, principal analyst at Gartner, shares this view and he said soft recovery is expected to start in the fourth quarter as Windows 10 product refreshes start to appear.

Jerry Kao, president, notebook business group, Acer, says the challenge for PC makers like Acer is  how to make it even more innovative devices like two-in-one gadgets, Chromebooks, gaming devices, and PCs and laptops for education and more custom-made devices for easier affordability to users.

A few days before the launch of the new Windows 10 devices in Taipei, India had selected Acer to provide the South Indian state government of Tamil Nadu with over 230,000 notebooks to school students within the state. In August, Acer also announced its participation for the fifth year in Chile’s “I Select My PC” program offered to students from vulnerable socio-economic segments, to help bridge the digital divide.

It is in gaming, however, that Acer is exploring a new niche.

“I think gaming is a market that is still growing. We have to be honest that in the PC market there are not too many segments that are growing, but gaming is growing and  not just in terms of quality but in terms of profitability,” he says.

Though the Taiwanese manufacturer has been quiet for some time in this segment, Kao says the company sees that it has a better opportunity to make it bigger as it now has a larger and product line for its Predator gaming brand, including notebooks, tablets, books, desktops. monitors, and peripherals.

Coming soon: The predator range

Acer announced the new Predator gaming line at the next@acer global press conference at IFA Berlin in September. The announcement follows the global press launch in New York last April.

The lineup includes the Predator 17-inch and 15-inch laptops, which feature an intelligent gaming keyboard, customizable backlighting and programmable macro profiles. There’s also the Predator G6 and G3 desktops for true hard-core gamers and the Predator Z35 monitor with a 35” ultra-wide curved display, lightning-fast refresh rate and NVIDIA G-Synch technology. 

Oliver Ahrens, president, Pan Asia-Pacific, Acer, admits that enthusiasm for PC products is not that high anymore and that it’s no longer easy to  inspire customers.

Gaming, however, is a different story. “Customers are getting enthusiastic. Even within Acer, there is very enthusiastic support from R&D to marketing to logistics,” he says. “It’s an emotional product. We are proud to be in gaming.”

In Asia, he says that the biggest market for gaming is China but the market is also increasing in Southeast Asian countries like Thailand and the Philippines. He sees Acer as being able to provide the best gaming experience for customers through performance, quality and service experience.

 Acer expects to start shipping the gaming line in the fourth quarter of this year. Even with the new developments in its Predator and Windows 10 portfolio, however, it is not too focused on market share.

“If we design specific products that end users love, the market share will grow,” Kao says.