News Acer unveils its
News Acer unveils its first Ultrabook New president vows to establish Acer as major mobile solutions company In his IFA press conference, Walter Deppeler, EMEA President at Acer, made his number one company goal quite clear: to establish Acer as a major mobile solutions company. Acer should develop new products and aggregate more software and services, he said. New products are not a problem. Here at IFA, delegates can see Acer’s first Ultrabook, the Aspire S3, which features a 13- inch display (the company intends to launch another model with a 15-inch display in Q4). The Aspire 3 also features Acer Green Instant On technology, which provides instant-resume functionality and ensures battery longevity. The Acer Instant Connect feature provides faster Internet access and the model comes encased in a thin, light, yet sturdy metal design. The Aspire S3’s litany of features – thinner, lighter, instant-on, instant connectivity, longer battery power – is exactly that Acer thinks the PC industry needs to re-invent itself. While Acer already draws 66% of its business from mobile devices, the business is moving from PCs to other mobile devices. Deppeler highlights impressive Eastern European sales growth while mature western European markets lag. Acer hopes its innovation can inject new life into the traditional markets. Lenovo Reveals High Ambitions Aims to be “the largest PC company on the planet” Lenovo used its press conference on Thursday to launch the IDeaPad U300s, a new Ultrabook that is thin, powerful and which the company believes will compete directly with the Apple MacBook Air. Powered by Intel’s secondgeneration core processors, the machine boasts eight hours of battery life and features Enhanced Experience 2.0 RapidDrive SSD technology, which means that it can boot up within ten seconds. The model is expected to be available in October. The press conference was opened by Milko Van Duijl, Senior Vice President Mature Markets of Lenovo, who highlighted the company’s intention to “become the largest PC company on the planet”. He said that Lenovo had no intention of going into the service or software business, adding that the company would rather leave that role to its partners. He referred to his company’s Protect And Attack strategy, which he likened to a boxer’s tactics, explaining that the company would continue to protect its China base while seeking to move into emerging markets. There is colossal interest in social media in China, he said, yet low penetration in that part of the world. He added that Lenovo is determined to invest in the development of social media and the digital home in China. Walter Deppeler EMEA President at Acer Hall 17 - Stand 118 Milko Van Duijl Outdoor Exhibition Space FG-FKT/A20 Hall 12 Stand 101 Senior Vice President Mature Markets Lenovo Dell’s Inspiron Laptops Answer Customer Demand From A to Z Dell focused on its laptop business at its opening IFA press conference, unveiling the XPS 14Z, a new 14-inch addition to its performanceand design-oriented XPS range. Aongus Hegarty, Dell’s Vice-President and General Manager for Consumer, Small and Medium Businesses, EMEA, talked through the company’s range, highlighting the forthcoming Inspiron 14Z. This marks the first time the Z that denotes a Dell product’s particular thinness has migrated down to the everyday computing Inspiron range. Hegarty also presented the Vostro V131, a small b u s i n e s s / h o m e - o f f i c e machine that improves on its predecessor by featuring a replaceable battery. It was, he said, an example of the company listening to its users’ feedback. “New products are very much centred around customers and customer experience,” he added. “It’s not just technology for technology’s sake — it’s how people want to use it.” This focus has helped Dell to thrive in the challenging European market. IDC EMEA data for the second quarter of 2011 shows that it has gained 2.5 points of share. However, on the subject of tablets, Hegarty was more cautious, saying that Dell had a roadmap for future products. He pointed to the company’s existing Streak range, which comprises fiveand seven-inch machines, saying that they provided Dell’s customers’ with what they want. Hall 13 - Stand 100 Hall 13 - Stand 100 a Aongus Hegarty Dell’s Vice-President and General Manager for Consumer, Small and Medium Businesses, EMEA www.ifa-international.org IFA International • Saturday 3 rd & Sunday 4 th September 2011 7
