“Acer just came from nowhere…!”
- posted by Michael Walsh on July 7th, 2009
- (3)
On 27 June, the New York Times published a very interesting article on the rise and rise of Acer.
The article focuses on the man of the moment, Gianfranco Lanci, who I’ve had the privilege of working with for over ten years. One of the most fascinating things about Gianfranco is just how down-to-earth the man is. And also how funny. I’ve been at conferences until 2 or 3 in the morning the night before the main event writing and re-writing management presentations and at that hour he’s the only guy in the room with enough energy to crack a few jokes.
Many years ago, we were trapped at Tunis-Carthage International Airport after the Global Press Conference because the plane Acer had chartered to get us and the 200+ journalists back home wasn’t where it was supposed to be (another story) so what did Lanci end up doing while we waited? Well we screwed up a bunch of papers from the conference and had an Italy Vs. Rest-of-the-world football match at the departure gate. Needless to say the Italian team won.
And so it’s wonderful to see the NYT start with something anyone who’s ever met him can actually imagine him saying:
ABOUT three months ago, Gianfranco Lanci flew into San Francisco International Airport, got off the plane and made his way to the passport control stations. As he pulled out his documents, the passport agent immediately recognized him as the chief executive of Acer.
“It was the first time in my life that has ever happened,” he says.
This transformation from uncool pretender to serious contender is a wave we’re all riding at the moment in Acer. Silent instigators of a global change in attitude towards the brand, it’s quite a moment when you experience it from the inside I can assure you.
Depending on who you believe (IDC or Gartner), Acer is just 2% or 0.1% behind Dell at worldwide level so you can imagine the atmosphere as we try to keep the pressure on.
So ladies and gentlemen, meet Mr Lanci, the guy no-one knew up until a few months ago but who’s determined to take Acer to the number one spot within a year.
No pressure then.
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TehSuigi wrote, on July 7th, 2009:
Can’t help but feel a little bit of Acer pride about the position the company’s in.
Quite the turn-around from the old grey-and-black generibooks of yore, eh?
Jing Yeow wrote, on August 25th, 2009:
I’m not sure what place Acer is in the global sales for laptops ( I think they’re third), but recently here in the UK, I’ve noticed a trend whereby where HP used to fill the electronics shop displays, that place has now been taken by Acer and Dell. I couldn’t but a HP if I wanted to.
I don’t think HP has realised that Glossy is over, at least for the inside of laptops.
Michael Walsh wrote, on August 25th, 2009:
According to Gartner, globally Acer’s ranked third (just 0.1% behind Dell) so expect this to change soon.
(nervous laughter)