Acer is one of the top five PC OEMs unless you count small cheap computers. Lately they are having growth pains, building stuff no one wanted and stuffing channels. I guess they’ve seen the light and intend to remedy that.
The news:
“"In the product development stages, we will place marketing ahead of R&D and design," Acer CEO J.T. Wang said in a statement. Understanding customers’ needs will decide how the company designs its products and services, he added.”
That could be NewSpeak for doing what everyone else is doing but it could be that Acer will really begin to supply the need for small cheap computers instead of the need for Wintel to keep growing. Their new market strategy partners, Red Peak Group, seem to have the right idea:
“Red Peak’s approach to brand strategy starts with a study of the organization, the consumer and the cultural context in which they exist. We use a variety of qualitative and quantitative research techniques to get to a well-defined strategic approach.” That’s not about pleasing Redmond… It could be about remaining relevant in the 21st century with small cheap computers reigning supreme. It could be about another OEM exploring ways to escape the Wintel monopoly.
see Acer to link marketing closely to product development, appoints new CMO | ITworld.
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That could be NewSpeak
You mean like “small cheap computers”?
small:“1. Having little size, compared with other things of the same kind; little in quantity or degree; diminutive; not large or extended in dimension; not great; not much; inconsiderable; as, a small man; a small river.
[1913 Webster]“
cheap: “1. Having a low price in market; of small cost or price, as compared with the usual price or the real value.
[1913 Webster]“
computer: “2. (Computers) an electronic device for performing calculations automatically. It consists of a clock to provide voltage pulses to synchronize the operations of the devices within the computer, a central processing unit, where the arithmetical and logical operations are performed on data, a random-access memory, where the programs and data are stored for rapid access, devices to input data and output results, and various other peripheral devices of widely varied function, as well as circuitry to support the main operations.”
Nope. That’s not NewSpeak at all, just the plain meanings of words.
You split hairs here, Mr. Pogson, but to no avail. Normal people clearly see the difference between a PC device such as a laptop or desktop and a phone as well as a tablet. “Computer, phone, tablet” are individual products that have some overlapping usage, but they are distinct product concepts.
Arguing some silly pilpul does not change that, nor does it affect the commercial issues in the environment. If a buyer can afford it, the first choice for a tablet is an iPad. If a buyer can afford it, the first choice for a smart phone is an iPhone. If a buyer wants a sophisticated image and can afford it, his first choice is a Mac Airbook.
All the rest seem to gravitate to the solution offered by the low price producer (LPP) OEMs who supply Windows computers to the PC market, Android phones to the phone market, and, mostly, Amazon who supplies the Kindle to the tablet buyers.
I think the latter market is not simply Apple vs Amazon, but rather “big tablet for games and web” vs little tablet for “books and games” conceptually.
I find that I don’t use the Kindle for as much anymore, but it is still the thing I take with me on trips. I bought a black and white Kindle, too, cheap at $60 on eBay, and use it out by the pool. I put them both in my PC bag along with my Dell laptop.
“In the product development stages, we will place marketing ahead of R&D and design”
Let me translate that for you:
“In the future, we will not just build anything our engineers think is a good idea, but we will build products that we can actually sell.”
@ Clarence Moon
Slumming it Clarence ? …….
“I find that I don’t use the Kindle for as much anymore, but it is still the thing I take with me on trips. I bought a black and white Kindle, too, cheap at $60 on eBay, and use it out by the pool. I put them both in my PC bag along with my Dell laptop.”
Would not have expected you to be such a cheapskate and buy your Kindle on ebay and a black and white one to boot.
Shame on you!
Clarence Moon wrote, “If a buyer can afford it, the first choice for a tablet is an iPad. If a buyer can afford it, the first choice for a smart phone is an iPhone. If a buyer wants a sophisticated image and can afford it, his first choice is a Mac Airbook.”
Nonsense. A buyer may well opt for two */Linux PCs for the price of one from Apple. I have never taught in a school since 1997 that actually bought a product from Apple. About that time the price penalty became too obvious to ignore. I do remember encountering products from Apple for a few years afterwards. For the school at Easterville that wanted 153 seats at PCs, Apple was not even in the bidding and the principal was a Mac-lover.
Further, neither Macs nor iThingies are “best-sellers” in many places. Android/Linux sells on more smart phones. It’s only on tablets where Android/Linux is just gaining traction with 4.0.x that Apple clearly wins unit share. Samsung sells millions of tablets at about the same price as Apple’s iPad so Clarence is clearly wrong or Samsung could not do that.
Clarence Moon wrote, “If a buyer wants a sophisticated image and can afford it,”
To which RP replied: “Nonsense. A buyer may well opt for two */Linux PCs for the price of one from Apple.”
And how would owning two PCs running Linux give anyone a sophisticated image? (Hint: At best, it gives you a geeky image.)
ch wrote:
“And how would owning two PCs running Linux give anyone a sophisticated image? (Hint: At best, it gives you a geeky image.)”
If you’re trying to promote uncertainty by associating Linux with a “geeky image” you’re not doing a very good job. You must be thinking it’s 1995. Back then Linux was kind of geeky. I don’t need to rattle off all the markets where Linux dominates or is a major influence to make your “Hint: At best…” statement look like she it.
Your effort at demeaning Linux is pathetic. You are pathetic ch. Try harder, you’ll look more pathetic.
ch wrote, “And how would owning two PCs running Linux give anyone a sophisticated image?”
For a teacher obtaining two PCs for the price of one might well make him a hero for doubling the effectiveness of IT in a school. It was not long ago that there were 10 students per PC in a typical school. Now there are about 3 and cost is often given as the reason for not obtaining PCs. When I explain that one can double the number by using GNU/Linux, educators listen. Where I last taught I came upon a school with 40 PCs for classrooms which the school could not afford to maintain. When we switched to GNU/Linux the school had doubled the number of PCs with no extra cost for maintenance except power. That made a real difference in many classrooms. In the Language Arts classroom across the hall, students were having to write assignments by hand and had no access to library or Internet. That all changed when they had 3 PCs in that room. Same for the Social Studies classroom and the Science Lab. The elementaries had an additional activity centre for very little effort. Teachers there were overworked and divide and conquer is an excellent solution. You bet having more PCs matters.
“You bet having more PCs matters.”
Now you have written so much – and completely missed the point. But I guess that the concept of “sophisticated image” simply doesn’t exist in your world.
But one thing I would like to know: Have you ever inquired about MS’s various license programs for schools?
ch wrote, “Have you ever inquired about MS’s various license programs for schools?”
Yes, oldman prompted that. Offers that were public in USA are not available in Canada. If a business does not offer a price in public schools are not going to bother phoning them up. Most schools buy retail. It may be different for school-division IT departments but schools often have no purchasing agent etc. who has the time to talk. I have never seen one of M$’s salesmen pay $hundreds for an air-ticket to a school in the bush for possibly $0. One can buy retail licences from M$ for about half the usual price but that is still too high for many schools. They can get PCs for $0 plus freight with XP and such. The major cost to schools for having XP run is not the licence fee but the service. The last school where I worked had half the XP machines piled up in the lab because they would not boot. What’s the point of spending $hundreds to ship them out and back for service? I re-imaged them in the school but after a couple of months they were unbootable again. I re-imaged again with GNU/Linux and they were free of trouble and faster.
be such a cheapskate and buy your Kindle on ebay and a black and white one to boot
You are a nettlesome twit, Mr. JR, and I would ordinarily continue to ignore your babbling but you make so many errors in such a short post that it screams for a reply.
First, I have a Kindle Fire that I have mentioned on a number of occasions, including this one, as a great device for mobile access to internet web pages and web service apps from many sources including my bank, insurance company, E*Trade, and Netflix and Hulu. A fascinating device at a low price! Superior to the iPad in many respects, particularly size and weight, for meeting my needs. It also plays Angry Birds every bit as well as the iPad.
It is a poor choice for use outdoors in sunlight or even the sort of shade obtained from umbrellas or patio covers. Hence the need for the other type of Kindle.
The term “cheapskate” does not apply here. It would apply, for example, to someone using Linux and FOSS applications to provide sub-optimal performance and utility in order to save the cost of a more convenient and conventional Windows computer solution. However, once one has established the winner in some frame of reference, seeking the lowest price available is not an application of “cheapskate”. Even Mr. Pogson would agree about that.
I obtained a current production model Kindle in an unblemished condition at a distress sale price from a dissatisfied user who wanted to read email and who had purchased the wrong device for that. I wanted to read books outdoors, so I was pleased with the opportunity. That is not being a cheapskate by any means.
@ Clarence Moon
Looks like yanking your chain eventually paid off. Thanks for the reply.
Your comment refers ……”The term “cheapskate” does not apply here. It would apply, for example, to someone using Linux and FOSS applications to provide sub-optimal performance and utility in order to save the cost of a more convenient and conventional Windows computer solution.”
So tell me are these specs for your Kindle fire wrong:
http://www.phonearena.com/phones/Amazon-Kindle-Fire_id6185/fullspecs
I don’t see any mention of windows OS.
As far as I know android is based on linux so what exactly is your point ?