next@acer October 2021: “right” designs, value, sustainability, and the future with Jerry Kao, James Lin, and Jeff Lee

On the other end of next@acer 2021‘s October reveals, we have the other offerings ranging from laptops to tablets, separate from displays. It’s plenty exciting with the increased focus on the environment, to further discuss. On call for this session we had:

• Jerry Kao, Co-COO; President of IT Products
• James K Lin, General Manager, Notebook Products Business
• Jeff J Lee, General Manager, Stationary Computing Business
• Jane Hsu, Director, Business Development, Spatial Computing Product Business

Microsoft recently revealed the Surface Laptop Studio. Many people have pointed out the similarities between it and ConceptD 7, so what are your thoughts?

Jerry Kao: Well, for one, we’re happy that more people are following our concepts, and that’s good news for Acer.

James K Lin: We’ve been seeing more devices trying to align with Acer’s designs, like what we use in ConceptD, and that makes us feel like our design decisions have been validated and we feel honoured. Back in 2012, this line of products was not initially well received, but relaunching ConceptD for creators, all these have turned out very good for them.

Jerry Kao: Our design has nevertheless managed to outperform our competitors, since we include features like the so-called “Any Angle Floating”, where you can position the display at any position. Some of our competitors only offer 2 or 3 fixed angles. Regardless, we won’t be taking any action as we understand this feature what customers want even if it isn’t an Acer product. We just need to tell ourselves that we have to do more so that people will keep coming back or taking inspiration from us. That’s our ambition.

Will Acer be making packaging more sustainable?

James K Lin: We don’t want to shorten a product’s lifespan, and there’s a lot of technology and structural design that goes into making something be sustainable. We’re experimenting and collecting user feedback. We do think it’s about time for us to make a product that is both sustainable and performs as well as our regular line-up which needs structural and design enhancements.

Users may not see the actual internal design changes, but we try to remind them that you are using a product made from recycled material, and that they’re contributing towards helping the Earth. The manufacturing process itself we’re working to simplify too. This extends to the packaging, where we try to include ideas of using some of its parts to make a stand.

This spirit is embodied in the Aspire Vevo line. Remember, we only have one Earth.

Would Acer be interested or have plans to create a modular laptop like the Framework Laptop?

James K Lin: We’re trying this out, since it really helps when it comes to repairs and saving material resources. We’re not satisfied with where we’re at now, so we’re looking into more possibilities. We know sustainability and compatibility is important to users, so maybe we can offer something similar in the future.

For now, the Aspire series allows a memory module swap, while the Vero series is meant to be “easy to repair”. We’re gradually introducing this kind of modular design.

Jerry Kao: The DIY market for desktops is already mature, while notebook DIY isn’t as much. It’s still a market that people are trying to enter. With the Vero, we want to provide easy upgrades so that they can continue to use the same laptop without needing to produce more, so it’s both to appeal to DIY and to protect the earth.

Has Acer considered re-entering the mid-range Android tablet market with the increased demand from COVID-19?

Jerry Kao: Thanks for emphasizing mid-range. For Acer, we keep out of markets we don’t believe we can provide any value, like that for the entry-level market. We haven’t left the mid-range market, with the launch of our new Enduro Urban Tablet T3, which itself is a mid-range Android tablet packed with anti-microbial features and is as robust as the other Enduro series products. It’s catered for the general consumer for them to bring along for outdoor activities. The price is also mid-range.

But yes, to sum, as long as we believe we can provide value, we won’t be completely leaving a market, so please try out the Enduro Urban Tablet T3 for yourself.

How has the response been for the Aspire Vero?

Jerry Kao: We’ve noticed that a lot of retailers and people are taking interest, so it’s not just a ‘flash in the pan’. We can’t share any sales numbers or our forecasts, but I can guarantee we are making an impact.

Any plans to collaborate with game artists for a special edition laptop?

James K Lin: Well, our collaborations are typically long term plans and are subject to NDA, so please stay with us.

With AMD announcing their AM5 platform, what is Acer’s AMD gaming line-up strategy?

James K Lin: We have two directions: the processors, and the graphics. I believe we’ve already launched quite a few AMD processor products, and we’re continuing to work with AMD to get a design to best align with their trends. NVIDIA still has a strong market share, so this is something we will need to continue evaluating until we find the right entry point be it for the market or specific countries, to position the products properly.

Jeff J Lee: We do have desktop towers using AMD, with a whole range covering all markets. We’ll definitely continuously consider AMD, so you can always provide more feedback on our offerings.

That’s a wrap for this session! Which of the product reveals from Acer are you most excited from? Is there something you’d like them to revisit? Perhaps they’re not too far off, if they realize the demand is there.

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