Bright Future for Acer?

Amongst the many global companies in the Computer Hardware and Software Industry, one that truly draws my attention, is Acer. The homepage kindly informs that Acer Group is a family of four brands: Acer, Gateway, Packard Bell and eMachines. This multi-brand strategy allows each brand to pool their resources and benefit from synergy. Thus, they can target different market segments and assure that all customer needs are fulfilled in the global PC market.  Acer ranks No.2 for total PC and notebook shipments with a global workforce of 8000 employees. Merging with Gateway Inc (Oct 2007) and Packard Bell (March 2008), Acer managed to strengthen its presence in the US and Europe. Acer has been able to achieve its sustainable growth worldwide by means of adapting to the trends and collaborating itself with the industry’s top partners.

Acer's PC-centric product offering includes notebook and desktop PCs, servers and storage, LCD monitors, projectors, and smartphones and tablets. Sub-brands include the consumer-focused Aspire series, and commercial sector TravelMate and Veriton series. This product line and overseas alliances has allowed Acer to progress further and excel in the fast-paced IT industry.

Recently, Acer has been focusing on expanding further, thus, the organisation has decided to market in the Chinese market and also taken a more ethical stance by ‘going green’. I believe that in an environmentally conscious society now, investors are looking forward to take the risk of investing in firms that are socially responsible and willing to enter new markets with enhanced products. Acer is managed to be ‘global’ by targeting the middle-class consumers and manufacturing in bulk for businesses.

http://www.acer-group.com/public/The_Group/milestones.htm

Apple, IBM, Fujitsu

To many the very mention of the computer hardware and software industry brings thought to US based companies such as Apple, IBM and Microsoft. However, across the globe non-US based companies are quickly growing, expanding and becoming a more dominate force within the industry. One such company is the Japanese based Fujitsu Group. While Fujitsu has been in operation since 1935, it holds relatively low brand awareness to consumers in countries such as the US. Although its brand recognition may not be as high as companies such as Apple or IBM, Fujitsu has rapidly become a key player within the industry. As of 2008, Fujitsu was the third largest IT services provider in the world and the largest in Japan. The companies 172,000 employees brought in a profit of 55 billion dollars at the end of the 2011 fiscal year, from sales and serves provided to over 70 countries. Additionally, Fujitsu has become involved in joint ventures with companies based in prominent countries such as the UK and Germany. The company's latest strategic alliance with Microsoft has increased its influence within the US; which may pose difficult challenges to Fujitsu's top global competitor, IBM.

Personally, I feel that Fujitsu will continue to become a more and more powerful force within the industry. Throughout its history the company has made tremendous strides with technology innovation that have dominated the market in both Japan and around the globe. These strides will only continue to occur as Fujitsu tapes into lucrative foreign markets through joint ventures and strategic alliances. The companies current strategic alliance with Microsoft caught my attention and leads me to believe that Fujitsu will become larger player in both the US and the world

http://www.fujitsu.com/global/about/profile/info/

The Race to the Top

Corporate competition is a driving factor of all major industries. Competition allows companies to create superior products, offer better services and innovate all merchandise lines continuously. The Computer Software and Hardware industry is a prime example of a line of trade that experiences cut throat competition and extremely high demand. While all companies offer new and advanced technology, each respective brand works constantly to differentiate themselves. Specifically, focusing on offering cutting edge technology that’s high in demand by a consumer base with even higher expectations for the products they purchase.

Apple has created a brand that is synonymous with creativity and simplicity. Apple’s product lines, that have revolutionized a plethora of industries. have a focus on the ‘little things’. Apple computers offer applications such as Launch Pad and Mission Control that provide an easy, graphically pleasing approach to help organize an individual’s use of the personal computer. In the 1990’s, Apple changed the industry forever by launching the first clickable computing system. Since then, they have found ways to make technology more functional. In the present day, products such as the iPad and iPhone allow for portable computing and the ability to carry technology, with the ability of a personal computer, in ones own pocket. Apple’s branding has successfully distinguished the company as a leader in Computer Software industry.

PC brands have worked hard to focus the branding of their products towards a business based consumer. Computer firms such as Dell and HP strive to offer software that allows for quick and efficient data entry and fantastic word processing. PC owners also enjoy great gaming abilities which many computer based game users cannot find with Macintosh computers. The distinction between Mac and PC products has single handedly divided an industry and sent firms striving to find a unique identity for their line of products. Brands that do not keep updated on the advancements of technology often find themselves left behind by the consumer market. Dell is such a firm that has experience this reality of the industry. In 2006 Dell controlled over 15% of the market share for PC members. As of 2010 that amount has decreased to about 12% and many believe it is due to lack of advancement in their technology.

http://www.gartner.com/it/page.jsp?id=1519417

http://www.switched.com/2008/08/06/mac-vs-pc-6/

Is Apple Falling?

Many thought that with all of the rumors, that Apple was producing an iPhone 5, which opened up endless discussion about new features. When the iPhone 4S was announced many were disappointed. The release of the iPhone 4S has put Apple in a new predicament. Now many are looking to other companies as an alternative in the smart phone field. Samsung’s new model the “Nexus Prime” has jumped in as a possible alternate. The new model has a curved screen to prevent others from seeing from a side angle. It will also feature the 1 GB of RAM (adding to the 32 GB of built in storage), a dual core processor for easy use, and the new Android 4.0 mobile OS. These impressive features have proven to be a huge selling point to enraged Apple customers. Many thought that with all of the rumors, that Apple was producing an iPhone 5, which opened up endless discussion about new features. When the iPhone 4S was announced many were disappointed. Samsung has postponed their release in respect to the passing of Steve Jobs, but the product is projected to do very well.

This pertains to the field of hardware and software, as it simply opens up the competition within the Smartphone sector of the industry. Many are now starting to look into whether the iPhone 4S and the passing of Steve Jobs will affect the computer giant.

http://sanfrancisco.ibtimes.com/articles/227722/20111009/samsung-nexus-prime-can-it-deliver-what-iphone-4s-couldnt.htm

Recent Consumer Behavior Trends Influencing the Industry

IFA- Berlin is the world’s largest trade show focused on consumer electronics. This year’s show was held from September 2-7 in Germany and Euromonitor International, a market research company, identified four of the main trends in global consumer electronics in 2011. The first is the growing middle class, which has become a focus for companies to advertise to because of more single and/or working parents and a willingness of the middle class to reward themselves for hard work. The second trend in companies catering to consumers is a global increase in woman in the workforce in need of electronics. In the past companies would appeal to the female demographic by making their product available in colors such as pink or red but companies are now catering to more than just a more feminine color scheme. One tablet by Samsung makes their product more user friendly for woman with long fingernails by including a stylus for text applications. the third trend is that companies are ignoring the elderly as a demographic to focus on because even in the most developed sections of the world the elderly take up at most 18% of sales. The trend of ignoring the elderly demographic could end up hurting some companies because in places like India and China the elderly take up a large chunk of the population that companies could be alienating. The fourth trend that could help companies is the increasing amount of the global population that views mobile devices as a necessity and companies are focusing on the connected population and developing markets.

source:http://www.portal.euromonitor.com/Portal/Pages/Search/SearchResultsList.aspx

The Digital Divide

Smartphones are ceating a buzz all over America and ensuring that more people have access to an Internet experience, allowing them to cross over the so called Digital Divide. Being on the other side of this Digital Divide has become a concern for high quality of life, which shows that there is a change in the culture, consumer preferences and responses. However, being technologically involved is determined by two key elements: income level and job security. At present, the lack of reliable, easy access to the internet hinders our ability to connect to jobs, education, services, public safety resources and support networks.

‘’Increasingly this means having good Internet access on the go, because in just a few years most U.S. Internet access will be mobile. Recently International Data Corp. predicted that by 2015, "more U.S. Internet users will access the Internet through mobile devices than through PCs or other wireline devices."

Telecommunication companies tend to concentrate and provide coverage in densely populated areas, thus people living in remote areas so not benefit from these broadband and wireless connections. It has been predicted that within the next year, handsets in use in the US will be smartphones of some kind.

What are some of the consequences of having the nation run on smart-phones? Firstly, smart-phones are costly for most; especially for low income earners and committing to long term contracts can often prove to be a financial risk for low income levels. Thus, no contract phones have become a little more popular over the past few months.

In order to encourage and overcome this problem, services like T-Mobile and Sprint have been applying consumer-friendly strategies and using competitive pricing to attract more customers. Thus of course, has increased the level of competition in the industry, but it also assures that the majority benefit from smart-phones and mobile internet services. Competitive pricing is used intensely in this industry by organizations, and what determines their sales is then based on the effectiveness of the marketing and promotional tactics.

http://www.cnn.com/2011/10/07/tech/mobile/amy-gahran-cell-phone-bridge/index.html

Steve Jobs: Rockstar of the Technology World

Pick up any newspaper around the world and you are guaranteed to find an article about the late Steve Jobs and his revolutionary contributions to Apple and the computer hardware and software industry. As co-founder of Apple, one of the largest and most influential companies within the industry, Jobs was able to create and release some of the most profitable and technologically advanced products into the world. However, more notably than the ground breaking products themselves, was the man who promoted and sold them. At the forefront of every major Apple release was Steve Jobs. His presentations to the public and press were the "rock concerts of the technology world". Thousands of technology critics, experts and press representatives would listen intently to his presentations; hanging on his every word and recording his legendary speeches with IPhones in the air. Through his incomparable, onstage charisma, Jobs was able to get people excited and believe in his products that he preached as "magical and revolutionary". "To technology freaks and geeks, he is a 'demigod', whose product launches are adulatory affairs regularly likened to religious revivalist meetings," the the British Newspaper the Guardian wrote in 2006.

With the recent death of Steve Jobs many are questioning if Apple will be able to hold its place at the top of the industry; as the legend behind its previous success is no longer at the reins. With his passing Apple's stock took a significant hit, implying that many had invested in the man, rather than the company. From its beginning Jobs served as the face and voice of Apple, inspiring excitement in his products and concurring skepticism among the critics. "The world has lost a visionary." President Barack Obama said in a statement posted on Wednesday night on White House blog.

http://www.cnn.com/2011/10/06/tech/innovation/steve-jobs-cult-figure/index.html