Thanks to the COMPUTEX 2024 event, Acer had a fantastic time showcasing their latest products at the Taipei Nangang Exhibition Hall and also invited us to their HQ for a sharing and Q&A session.
We were welcomed by none other than the region’s President, Mr. Andrew Hou. From here on, I’ll omit the regional term since it’s clear from the context.
Firstly, Acer’s Q1 2024 year-over-year results are still positive, although a 5% increase isn’t particularly impressive in relative terms. Hou explained that the shift in government budgets towards protecting citizens during COVID-19 has resulted in fewer projects from ministries and other entities.
However, there was a positive shift in Q2, and he expects Q3 and Q4 to show even better results, primarily due to the rising momentum in PC gaming, where Acer aims to expand its presence.
In terms of market share, Acer maintains a strong lead in the region. Hou proudly acknowledged the significant support from the Philippines, which led to a 50% increase in gaming notebook sales, driven by the Predator League 2024 Manila in early January.
Acer intends for its leading gaming brand, Predator, to evolve beyond just a “gaming brand” to avoid becoming stagnant and dull. By adopting a lifestyle strategy, Acer infused more elements into the Predator League 2024 Manila event, inviting popular artists and creating its first official theme song.
The Acer brand adopted a similar philosophy but in a different way. The Acer Day campaign functions as a carnival event where people can enjoy various products, build community, and have a great time within the Acer ecosystem.
Additionally, Acer’s other portfolios, including server and enterprise equipment (ALTOS), after-sales repair service (HSN), and home appliance family (Acerpure), achieved strong results. This was particularly notable in India, where ALTOS and Acerpure debuted successfully.
The official presentation concluded with Andrew and his team answering various questions from the media.
Q: How far is Acer’s RE100 target goal by 2035 as of now?
A: 40% or somewhere along the line. We also try to work with other partners to acquire eco-friendly materials for our products and packaging solutions.
Q: How is Acer adapting to the AI trend?
A: While we are not a complete tech innovator that can create something new for everyone, Acer is still competitive in following tech leaders to provide good end-user products.
Q: Any chance Acer will launch AIoT products?
A: At the current state, because there’s not one single dominant IoT standard or protocol in the market, we are open to working with partners to produce compatible equipment and devices, but not to the full extent of owning an AIoT department and manufacturing our own.
Q: Competitors have released their own server solution based on the new NVIDIA GB200 NVL72 reference design, will Acer’s ALTOS brand be interested in becoming a partner?
A: Generally speaking, no. It is because ALTOS primarily serves clients based on the x86 architecture. NVIDIA’s GB200 system is fully proprietary and doesn’t really match what ALTOS is currently offering. However, ALTOS has a massive portfolio including workstations, new IT systems for the government, and even mega-scale data centers.
Q: Since the Predator League 2025 Malaysia tournament has been announced, is the event ready to include other competitive games aside from the usual MOBA and FPS genre
A: If it is for next year’s tournament specifically, then it is not. But we will definitely look into it when demand is high and consistent enough.
Q: Cybersecurity is one of the main concerns when it comes to anything that involves AI. Is Acer doing anything to protect its users and/or letting users choose their level of involvement in the tech?
A: Yes and we will talk about one example – the RAG technology. Powered by ‘vectors’ which are usually data obtained from a database consisting of user-generated data, Acer and partners have several protections to make sure these ‘vectors’ are safeguarded
Q: With Microsoft officially launching Copilot+ PCs and making Windows on Arm actually competitive, easy to use, and reliable, what is your take on working with Qualcomm, Intel, and AMD in this matter?
A: We constantly monitor what sort of features or support are most requested by our users which we can use to further refine current or future products. This includes the ability to use our exclusive applications and features on both x86 and Arm Copilot+ PCs.
Q: Then can you briefly talk about any exclusive features/applications?
A: Our current Copilot+ AI laptops have a special touchpad with a logo on it. The logo has a breathable LED under it when it lights up when the processor’s NPU is running. We do this to help users find out, experience, and realize the presence of AI through these little minute details. SpatialLabs also has an in-house algorithm that can turn 2D into 3D which is also Arm/x86 compatible, making sure that no matter which “Team” you are supporting, you will get the same experience.
Q: Will Predator push out products related to the recently trending gaming handheld PCs?
A: All we can say is that it will come, and we are constantly seeking out parts for R&D purposes. So no actual timeframe for it but it will come when we are ready.
Q: In the past, Predator laptops often had striking looks and a charm to them since they were unique at the time when they were launched. Do you have any plans to do that again in the future?
A: In this day and age, we focus on the user’s perception and see if we can seek out the value that a consumer could. If there’s no value to it, then we most probably won’t do it.
Q: There was this “naked eye 3D” effect that came around 10 years ago although this is what SpatialLabs can be described as, it is far more different in terms of execution and results. How far do you see the series could go?
A: We realized that when the world first saw a 3D model-capable engine, people were amazed because they were entering a new era of graphical fidelity. But in 2024, that’s not really the point anymore because you are still “displaying” 3D on a flat monitor surface. Thus, the SpatialLabs series was born to give modern gamers that same feeling again. As for the 2nd question, we believe that by simplifying the integration of SpatialLabs tech into engines like Unity and UE5, we can get dev support rolling that leads to more gamers getting exposed and experienced then building a strong user base, resulting in the series flourishing.
Q: Are there any plans for bigger monitors in the Predator family? Actual high specs monitors with sizes as big as smart TVs for example.
A: We did have super big monitors in the market but consumer only gets 43-inch OLED and 48-inch OLED currently. But we will soon unveil a bigger model. Stay tuned.
Q: How did Acer implement AI-based features into its monitors when competitors are pushing out models that can literally help players “cheat”?
A: At the current state, we are using a more holistic approach such as Auto Color Profile based on the content on-screen, Auto HDR, environment detection for color temperature adjustment, and more. For gaming, we are still exploring.
Q: With Acer debuting a portable monitor that has a dual screen, is there any chance we see larger panel sizes?
A: Yes we are currently planning to do that as well as amping the resolution and refresh rate along the way. You will see it in a future product “pretty soon”.
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