Acer CEO Gianfranco Lanci becomes the latest head of a PC company to exit after fighting a losing battle to topple Apple’s domination of the tablet market. Apple’s successful iPad and other products is seen as the “key reason” why Lanci left.
Executives at Motorola, Toshiba, Sony, Lenova and Asustek Computer reportedly could also be dethroned, according to an industry publication, citing unnamed sources. “First-tier smartphone and PC brands are still unable to find an effective strategy to counter Apple’s advance,” the Taiwan-based DigiTimes writes.
Prior to Lanci’s departure, Nokia replaced former CEO Olli-Pekka in September and LG Electronics replaced head Nam Young “because of their inability to defend their companies from Apple’s fierce competition.”
Bloomberg reports Friday Lanci was axed because his goal was to outsell HP. Instead, Acer board members believe the company should focus on profits and put Apple in its crosshairs. Apple had a 21.5 percent profit margin during the last fiscal year, compared with Acer’s 2.3 percent.
“There is good consensus among the board members that the tablet is the way to go,” Acer’s finance chief told the news site. Acer began selling its Iconia tablet in March, giving Apple’s iPad a year head start. In 2010, Acer predicted the Apple tablet would fall to just 20 percent of the market. Today, the iPad is the leading product in the tablet category.
Can Acer readjust, or is it too late? More and more PC makers who felt demand for the iPad would cool over time are now rushing to make up lost ground.
[AppleInsider, DigiTimes, Bloomberg]
Ed Sutherland is a veteran technology journalist who first heard of Apple when they grew on trees, Yahoo was run out of a Stanford dorm and Google was an unknown upstart. Since then, Sutherland has covered the whole technology landscape, concentrating on tracking the trends and figuring out the finances of large (and small) technology companies.
12 responses to “Acer CEO Bites the Dust as Apple Takes Chunk of Netbook Market”
I sure wouldn’t want to be a CEO of an Apple competitor these days. It would be difficult enough to make the tablet itself at a competitive price. But then what about the operating system, human interface guidelines, distribution infrastructure, developer network, app store-like system, etc.? And what about the advantages, halo-effects, etc. of what is essentially the same OS across entire product lines of computers, tablets, media players, settop boxes, etc.?
You’d have to start from total scratch and work your way up from a viable OS–like Steve Jobs did two decades ago, and then have the drive, determination, and leadership abilities like his to sustain you and your company over the long haul. . .
Nope. That’s a game for a precious few very special people . . . like Steve Jobs.
it’s Lenovo.
I had never seem before a CEO like Steve Jobs. He can rebirth Apple from Dead and surpass every companies.
These are the geniuses that get the big dollars to make cutting edge tech?!? I’m not sorry to see this dud go, and the rest of them should follow. You’re already behind the 8 ball, the best thing to do now is make a case for why you’re tablet is better than Apple’s. Instead of holding on to netbooks and laptops that are going the way of the dinosaur, hop on the tablet track and start making something instead of these cheap knockoffs. DO SOMETHING AMAZING!
Not to mention the retail stores…
As Freddie Mercury said, another one bites the dust. I can definitely see Steve listening to that song right now.