Acer set to launch app store next year

Acer, the world’s second-biggest PC maker, plans to launch an application store next year in a move that highlights the growing importance of software and internet services to the traditionally hardware-focused PC industry.

Acer’s “Next Generation Store” will be available on all its devices, from PCs to smartphones and tablets, and also across different operating systems including Google’s Android, Window’s Phone 7 and Intel and Nokia’s MeeGo, according to Gianfranco Lanci, Acer chief executive.

Mr Lanci said Acer’s offering would be an improvement to existing application stores, such as those from Apple or Google, because it would recommend programs and applications based on the consumer’s profile and usage history. He did not, however, elaborate on how Acer’s store would differ in this regard from Apple’s, which already offers recommendations based on previous purchases.

“Today one of the problems is that on Apple and Android phones you get thousands of content [from their application stores] but you don’t know which one is the one you want,” he said.

The move represents a fresh push by the Tai­wanese computer maker to expand its reach beyond traditional desktop and notebook PCs into new product categories such as smartphones, tablets and internet-enabled televisions, where consumers place greater importance on services and content than on hardware specifications.

“Hardware without software is not going to fly,” Mr Lanci said, but added that he didn’t think “the number one goal is to make money from” running an application store. He acknowledged that there had already been a proliferation of application stores in recent months, but said Acer’s would have a unique advantage in emerging markets because the company would localise the service to a range of emerging market countries. “We will be the first one and the only one with this capability,” he said.

Acer also remained bullish about the overall PC market in spite of worries about weakening conditions.

Acer reported a 24 per cent increase in after-tax profits in the first quarter compared with a year ago, to $137m, even as revenues remained flat at $5.35bn. The company expects its shipments of notebook and netbook PCs to rise 20-25 per cent next year.